51,468 bulbs light up lawn for Christmas charity

There are 51,468 bulbs in Dany and Catherine Falle's front yard this year.

That's up from a paltry 47,640 last year.  

And they all come together in a spectacle unlike anything else in the family's Lincoln, N.B., neighbourhood. 

"Our light bill is usually between $200 and $300 more than it usually is," Dany said. "But it should be less this year, even though there's more lights, because I'm regulating their energy."

Falle's control of the show is nothing less than precise, right down to individual bulbs, as he orchestrates all the moving and singing action on his snowy lawn.

A trio of 20-foot tall snowmen wave their stick arms and move their mouths as they sing along to Christmas music. 

A giant 16-foot neon nutcracker acts as host and usher, offering parking advice and belting out DJ Santa.

A new feature this year is a large "Charlie Brown's Christmas tree."

The playlist of holiday music, along with the mandatory Let It Go, from Frozen, is broadcast via Falle's FM transmitter, and visitors can hear it all on their own vehicle radios.

The painstakingly choreographed light show plays out with a captivating electricity against temperatures now approaching –20 C. 

"I'm always asking her the question 'Why do we do it?'" says Dany Falle, motioning to his Catherine. "And when we see the kids that we have sponsored, then the question is answered." 

More Than Pretty Lights 

The Falles have raised more than $61,000 for the Children's Make-A-Wish-Foundation with their Christmas light shows. 

The couple don't just sit inside their brightly lit home in the Concord Drive subdivision as the light show blares into the winter night.

No matter how cold it gets, they can be found at the end of their driveway collecting donations for the foundation.

The desire to help the charity each year is the driving force behind the blood, sweat and programming tears that go into putting together light shows that are different every night. 

"Last year we sponsored a kid who just wanted a Star Wars bedroom," Dany said. "And his face just lit up so much when he got it. It makes everything worth it, and we just knew we have to keep doing it again." 

"That's why we do it," said Catherine. "And why we'll keep doing it." 

Shows start at 6 p.m. and last until 9:45 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends until Jan. 1.