UPDATES WILL BE POSTED HERE ABOUT OUR 2021 CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW to music located in Harker Heights, Texas (Fort Hood area) as well as on our Facebook page. Make sure to bookmark this page and like our Facebook page to keep up with the latest news.
If you wish to make a donation, you can do so through Cash App, PayPal, or buy an item off of our Amazon Wishlist.
FACEBOOK PAGE: Carlson Light Display
FACEBOOK EVENT: 2021 Carlson Christmas Light Show
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Carlson Light Display
See our video from last year: 2020 Carlson Christmas Light Show Video
LATEST NEWS FOR THE 2021 Christmas Light Show:
UPDATE December 4th: We are extending the Friday & Saturday shows. Showtimes on Friday and Saturday will now be 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm.
DECEMBER 24TH SHOWS: New this year, we will have a photography set next to the RV area where you can take pictures with the Grinch and/or Mrs. Claus during the 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm shows. The Grinch & Mrs. Claus will not be out for the 9pm, 10pm, or 11pm shows. We will also hold a scavenger hunt during this time (a goodie bag will be provided to those who can answer correctly, while supplies last). Santa will pass by on a fire truck as well. While we do not know the exact time this will happen, in past years if memory serves it was usually during the 7pm show. We would also still love a Christmas card from you as we try and fill our card wreath. Cards can be handed to Clayton (he will be the guy sitting behind the table) or dropped in the card/donation box at the end of the driveway. We will have cards on hand from us to exchange if you would like one from us =) Due to how busy the December 24th shows are (it is the busiest night of the season) we will have a speaker set up outside for those who need to walk up and watch for the 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm shows. Our neighbors across the street are our biggest supporters. To keep it that way, we ask that you please respect their property and stay in the corner area of their yard (we will hopefully have cones set up). Please stay out of their driveway and other areas of their yard, we would hate to have to shut off the show.
Download the Scavenger Hunt Form:
DROP US OFF A CHRISTMAS CARD WHILE YOU’RE HERE:
Bridget loves collecting Christmas cards every year and assembles them into a book that she displays during the holidays. We have a Christmas Card drop box at the end of the driveway (where the driveway & yard meet) where you can leave us a Christmas card. Just pull the knob on the door to access the slot to drop it in (please make sure to close the door after). If you put a return address, Bridget will mail you one back! We also love getting notes, letters, and drawings =) Or you can mail one to us and we will send one back:
The Carlson Family
428 Winter Sun Drive
Harker Heights, TX 76548
ABOUT OUR 2021 CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW:
Feel free to walk or drive by! Our Christmas light show is roughly 45 minutes long this year. Between showtimes, we have an intermission where the lights are steady on with no music. To listen to the music during the show, please read the FAQ below.
2021 Christmas Light Show Dates:
December 1 – 25, 2021
2021 Christmas Light Show Times (NEW):
We have shortened our show time this year due to the issues we had in past years (people honking in the last show disturbing our neighbors, walking through and tearing up the display, etc…)
Dec 1 – 23: Sunday-Thursday 7pm & 8pm; Friday & Saturday 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm
Dec 24 & 25 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm
Where:
428 Winter Sun Drive in Harker Heights, Texas
Cost:
We keep getting asked how much it cost to attend. Guys, we are just a house in a regular ole’ subdivision who loves Christmas lights and try to be the Griswold’s every year. It’s FREE y’all =)
2021 Christmas Music Lineup:
Our song lineup varies from year to year. The majority of songs will be Christmas-related, but we always include a religious song, a funny/parody song, a popular song of the year (or one that is trending on social media), and typically a rock song. This year the rock song has been left out due to time constraints but may be added in later on in the season.
The first week we are still fine-tuning stuff, so if you come out December 1-7 just know we are still working on the sequences.
<<OUR INTRO>>
Christmas in Dixie
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Run Run Rudolph
Hot Chocolate
You Make it Feel Like Christmas
<<SUPRISE SONG>>
Hallelujah
Carol of the Bells
<<SUPRISE SONG>>
Grinch
House on Christmas Street
Christmas Shoes
Radio Station For Music: 88.1 FM
FAQ’S
How do I hear the Music?
Tune into FM Station 88.1 from your car to hear the music (or with a handheld radio). We no longer have a speaker outside as it is hard to hear over the cars and we don’t want to annoy our very understanding neighbors. Make sure you bring a handheld radio if you are walking up to the show so you can hear the music.
What songs are in this year’s show?
Please see the music lineup section above.
How long is the 2021 Christmas light show?
The show this year lasts about 45 minutes with an end of show intermission of approximately 15 minutes. The best time for video is anytime during the show and the best time for pictures is the end of show intermission between shows when the lights are steady on (there will be no music being played during intermission).
Will you post a video of the 2021 Christmas Light Show?
Yes, we will update this post with a video in January, so if you are not in the area make sure to subscribe to my updates on Facebook as I will announce it there when the video is up or on YouTube. We also have a Facebook page set up as well that you can follow!
How many lights are there?
We have honestly stopped counting. We have started the process of switching to pixel lights which allows for one bulb to change to over 1000 different colors. This allows us to get rid of multiple strings of lights (for example, creating the mini trees with 3 different colors of lights just to we could have that one tree change between solid red, solid, green, and solid white or have all three lights on together). Now we can do that with a single strand of pixel lights. But we estimate that there are about 20,000 lights now and about 3 miles of extension cords!!!!
How long did it take to put it together?
This year seemed a little easier since we have started making the transition to pixel lights even though it’s just the two of us now since the kids are grown. All in all, it was about 200 man-hours for putting up the display and Jerry spent about 150 hours programming this year’s show (the biggest challenge was the new pixel arches and adding those into the sequences).
Can we walk into the yard or driveway?
No. Please be respectful of our hard work and stay out of the yard and driveway areas. There are over 3 miles of cords used, and all are trip hazards which then damage the lights and display. In past years we have had lights (and electrical cords) damaged, causing us to shell out even more money and several man-hours to repair! We have cameras up and will call the police department to have those caught damaging our property arrested for destruction of property and trespassing (sorry to sound grinchy but we just don’t have extra money to shell out for repairs each season due to damage from others).
It costs us about $50 for each strand of pixel lights we have to replace and if our pixel lights are damaged due to other’s negligence we can’t just run out and buy another strand, we have to buy it online and wait 1-2 weeks for it to arrive. If it also damages a controller that is another $500. So it can actually halt the show for the entire season. This is why it is so important to stay out of the yards and driveways (we actually had a kid damage our brand new truck one year, costing $750 in repairs, the kid and parents took off leaving us with the bill).
Can we take pictures?
Absolutely, from the road only though! Do not walk into the yard or the driveway. There will be about a 15-minute intermission between shows, where the lights will be steady on to allow for pictures.
Is there a speaker outside?
Due to past incidents with kids connecting their device to our speaker and blasting inappropriate songs, we no longer have a speaker set up outside unless we are out there. Please make sure to bring your own radio to listen to the music. We have been searching for an hopefully will eventually find an outdoor wired (not Bluetooth which is the issue) speaker we can connect to our control system, but until we find that unicorn (we have been searching for over a year) there will be no speaker out there.
Is there somewhere to park?
Yes, park along the street, but do not park directly in front of the house (you could receive a ticket from the police department for parking within 30 feet of a stop sign if you do), so others can enjoy the show as well, and do not block driveways. You can also park at the school and walk down (make sure you bring a handheld radio to listen to the music if you do this as there is no speaker outside). Please be mindful of our neighbors and stay out of their yards and do not block roadways if you decide to walk up. There is no dedicated walk-up area so you will need to stand on the curbs. For safety reasons, we do not suggest sitting in or standing in the street as our street gets a lot of traffic.
Is there anything else we should be aware of?
Yes! Smile! You are on camera! Security cameras are in use for the protection of our property. Also, we have decorative fencing up. While this should be common sense, DO NOT lean on it or allow your children to lean on it, it can collapse and if you or your child falls just right on the rebar or the sharp picket type stakes of the fence panel itself, you can imagine what could happen. We will not be held liable for any injuries.
How can we donate?
We have been getting asked this a lot lately! The LED lights and pixel lights are what is so expensive. We are constantly having to repair/replace them due to people walking through the display and kids yanking on them. It is even more expensive as we make the transition over to pixel lights.
To put it in perspective, a 100ct strand of LED mini lights from Walmart is roughly $6. A 50ct strand of pixel lights is about $50 this year. We also can’t just run out and buy a strand, we have to order it which could take 2-3 weeks to get here, so it would be nice to have extra strands on hand so we don’t have to shut down the show waiting for them to arrive.
RGB Pixel lights allow us to program each individual light bulb into over 1,000 different colors. While they are MUCH more expensive, it also means that we need fewer lights as we do not have to run three (or more) strands of different color lights just to get the effect we want.
You can help us purchase these RGB Pixel Lights by donating through PayPal or the Cash App. We also have an Amazon Wishlist that you can purchase directly from instead as well:
2021 Show Video
COMING JANUARY 2022
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