Lights along the roofline burst into color as the first few notes of holiday music starts.
LED strips on around windows and doors glow, hues changing with each new note. Snowflakes dance in the front yard of Jason and Racheal Hamilton, while trees and dancing hoops light up to the beat.
At the center of it all, an LED display reveals holiday videos, cartoons of Santa and elves singing to Christmas songs and messages of hope and love spelled out.
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The Hamiltons, in addition to their three children, turn their Franklin home into a Technicolor holiday wonderland every December. They do it for the love of Christmas, and to see the wonder in people’s eyes as they gather to watch the nightly light shows.
But this year, the family is hoping to harness the excitement their decorations generate to help the less fortunate. They will be collecting canned and non-perishable food items such as boxed meals, peanut butter and soups in a bin outside their house, which they’ll be donating to the Interchurch Food Pantry as Christmas nears.
“It’s a good feeling on the inside to know that we can do something like this,” Racheal Hamilton said. “I’m hoping that people might catch a little bit of the Christmas bug and want to share.”
The Hamiltons have been staging an elaborate light show at their home at 1250 Niagara Lane for the past four years. Jason Hamilton is an electrician by trade, and he’s always tried to put up Christmas lights on his home. But a few years ago, he installed a small display that came pre-loaded with holiday music.
Building off of that, he used computer software to program a more complex show, eventually transitioning to a special type of LED bulbs known as RGB light strips.
As opposed to strands of individual bulbs, the strips offer the bright illumination of lighting with the ability to morph into dozens of different colors, Jason Hamilton said.
Programming the music is the most time-consuming aspect of the show. The Hamiltons spend weeks working on the computer so that different beats match up with effects with their lights.
Most of the actual lights themselves, from the hoops on the front lawn to the makeshift “tree” that doubles as a video screen that swoops down from the front of the home, can be set up in a single day or weekend. Cords are numbered so they can easily be matched with different decorations, a useful strategy since all of the electrical lines snaked throughout the yard can easily become overwhelming.
Most importantly, the LED strips that outline the house and make it seem alive are kept up all year long.
“It’s a good way to do it. This year, we did some Halloween lights, and let people know to come back at Christmas,” Racheal Hamilton said.
The display is synced up to a radio frequency that plays a variety of traditional Christmas songs, up-tempo remixes and other fun pop music while they watch the lights in their car.
They include selections from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” and in the past have done songs from popular movies such as “Frozen.” This year, they included music from the film “The Greatest Showman.”
The display has become popular in their neighborhood, as people often come by and park their cars to watch and listen. Those passers-by actually helped inspire the idea to collected canned food donations, Racheal Hamilton said.
“There was a lady who came by seeing if were going to do our lights yet. She drove by when were out setting up and asked if we were still doing it,” she said. “Then she asked if we took donations.”
The Hamiltons put up their display because it’s their passion, not for any monetary gain, so they declined her offer. But it got them thinking if there was a way to do something good for others through their light display.
The Interchurch Food Pantry, which serves up to 100 families every day, six days a week, was one social-service agency that they knew of, so Racheal Hamilton called to see if they’d be interested in donations.
Of course, food pantry officials accepted the offer.
The Hamiltons picked up a blue plastic bin from the food pantry to collect items, and set it up by the mailbox with a sign. They also created a Facebook page, Hamilton’s Light Show at Niagara Lane, to drum up interest for the collection.
The key has been to get the word out to people, Racheal Hamilton said.
“So far, we haven’t had anything yet. But even if we don’t get anything, we’re going to go shopping right to buy a some items so a few more families have a good, full, happy Christmas,” she said.
The family is hoping that as more people learn about what they’re doing, they’ll spread the holiday cheer by helping out others.
“If you come through, throw a canned food good in while you’re here. That’s fine,” Racheal Hamilton said.
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Hamilton Family Light Show
Where: 1250 Niagara Lane, Franklin
When: Dusk to 10 p.m.
What: Come enjoy the light show and synchronized music at this Franklin house. The Hamiltons have also set up a bin outside to collect non-perishable food, such as canned soups, peanut butter and boxed meals, if people want to donate. The food will be given to the Interchurch Food Pantry before Christmas.
Information: The family has set up a Facebook group, Hamiltons Light Show at Niagara Lane.
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