Ryans Christmas Lights 2006 Completeness – 6600/6600 lights!
That is right folks, 100%.
A video of the display is up on the video page, and photos have been uploaded on the 2006 photo gallery page.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
It just occurred to me that there have been significant improvements over the years of Ryan’s Christmas Lights, which for a second took me down memory lane.
- Back in 1999, I can remember starting out with those big C7 or C9 large bulbs which ran at 240 volts. They activated only when the outside light sensor was triggered because they used a sizeable amount of power.
- In 2000, the first low-voltage fairy light set was put up. I cannot clearly remember 2001 or 2002, but I do know small improvements occured with a few extra low-voltage light sets.
- Then 2003 saw the addition of a musical soundtrack played over cheap and old speakers hidden behind a brick near the front door. About $50 spent on the display, with $10 in power.
- 2004 saw the whole garden beginning to have some light, and the display expanding out onto the verge. This was the golden year where I took my display from a small activity on the side to a major year-round project. $300 was spent that year, and it was the first year that I stayed outside during the night. This occured during the final week leading up to christmas.
- 2005 was the big year. This year saw computerisation begin, and brand new soundtrack for the lights, and a whopping $1070 spent on upgrades. Santa also managed to make an appearance almost every night during December. The display made an appearance on the Seven Network and in the Messenger Newspapers.
- Then came 2006, where the computerised sequence with accompanied musical soundtrack was re-created from scratch with different musical pieces. The roof was redesigned for computerisation, and the display expanded backwards (or sidewards) to our new neighbour’s display. Finally, the musical soundtrack begun transmission over the FM radio frequency, however one can only hope the media – both local and national – will be happy to publicise the Christmas light show (yes, a show… no longer just a simple display) by any means possible, such as a weather report being conducted outside of the display as the sun is going down with footage of the display running from the previous night as they plug it. This year the display won a competition run by the Seven Network!!
- Next up in 2007 will see the introduction of bi-coloured bushes. By that I mean two different coloured light bulbs, both controlled by computer. The display has already broken the 10,000 lights mark even before 2006 is over
Seventy-Five Percent There.. Thrive display, Thrive!
The display has long beaten the halfway milestone, and is three quarters of the way to completion.
Also during the mists of assembling the show, a fantastic discovery was exposed. What is this discovery you say? Well, new neighbours to Ryan’s Christmas Lights, Phil and Pam, have their very own Christmas lights show. Why? Just like me, they get a whole load of joy out of seeing the smiles of cheerful children exploring the display, excited to the max.
Ryan’s Christmas Lights 2006 has taken an unexpected expansion backwards, in order to give the impression that both Christmas displays actually one gigantic light show for everybody, both young and old, to enjoy. With Phil’s electrical knowledge and my computer skills, expect to be surprised by the awesome displays – they are NOT to be missed this Christmas season!!
Ryans Christmas Lights 2006 Completeness – 4500/6100 lights.
Preparations Underway
This weekend marks the beginning of the official assembly for Ryan’s Christmas Lights 2006. All major cabling have been installed for the season! The computer soundtrack has also been entirely completed ready for this year. The display’s address will be published closure to the date, so keep clicking back!
Ryans Christmas Lights 2006 Completeness – 1000/6100 lights.
LED All The Way, Soon It’s Pageant Day!
Approximately $180 spent today in preparation for this year’s display. 500 more lights, and all LED. I am now guestimating that this year’s display will contain around about 5800 lights.
The Credit Union Christmas Pageant is only a couple of weeks away, and this means the display will start to be assembled outside very, VERY shortly! Isn’t this exciting?
Website News System
It gives me great pleasure to announce that a new news system has been installed for this website. Visitors can now comment/respond to all the news article entries.
Simply click on the header of the news entry you wish to comment on, and comment box will appear on your screen.
Money, Money, Money
In the next month or so I’ll need to spend about $200 on Bright LED lighting for the roof and some of the garden – I have decided that I should start making the move to full LED, as the reliability and lifespan of these products is much higher, with the electricity costs lower. I’ll need to get two sets that are 8 metres long ($25) and three sets that are 10 metres long ($35 each).
Pre-season Plan
The Christmas Lights storage cupboard has been opened for the year (insert magical sound here), with estimated costs for the year (excluding post-Christmas sales) being calculated prior to more light purchases.
Brand New Website
Brand new website for a brand new festive season. It is less than a month away until Christmas stock begins to arrive for the year, I cannot wait! Enjoy the new website.
Here Comes 2006
Work has begun on this year’s display. The soundtrack has been completed with three brand new songs (you’ll find out about those closer to Christmas!). Finally, more pictures have been added to the 2006 Photo gallery page.
