Oh Man, the ideas are flowing....
I can picture a coo coo clock going off at 5PM that nudges a lit candle under a piece of string that is holding a GIANT candy cane upright, that falls when the string burns through. As the candy cane falls it hits a switch that turns on a model train (O gauge of course). The train then travels down a length of track and falls onto a seesaw that bumps into a bowling ball sitting precariously on a track. The bowling ball then falls onto a pillow that causes the first of 3000 domino's to start a chain reaction ending with the last domino falling onto a balance scale. The scale slowly rises until it makes contact with a trip spring that opens the door of a hamster cage. Of course the hamster has to be dressed in an elf costume. The hamster then runs to a plate that is wrapped around the north pole like a collar. As the hamster enjoys it's favorite snack on the plate (use the snack enlue of a trained hamster.....Not enough time this year to properly train a hamster) the plate slowly slides down the north pole like the ball in Time Square. Once the plate reached the bottom of the pole it makes the final contact to start the show. However, I might be inclined to have it ring a tiny bell and have only one light of the display come on. This might be anticlimatic after such an elaborate starting device, but will be funny as he..
Just a couple of ideas
Tim
