A Light Dream Come True

Matt Phipps began his holiday light display journey three years ago.

The 20-year-old has come a long way.

His display now features 40,000 lights, water geysers, a projection screen and its own radio frequency.

Phipps' house, located at 646 Zermatt St., lights up the neighborhood.

"All I can say is visit us this year, come back again next year, and never think that a dream is too big to do," he said of his music-synchronized light display.

Though Phipps admits his display is complex and definitely worth a visit, he says it is different than local holiday favorites like annual holiday light show.

Livermore Patch recently sat down with Phipps for a Question-and-Answer session to get the background on how his display came about:

Can you describe the show for someone who has never seen it?

Livermore Lights is not your average neighborhood house decorated for the holidays.

It has 40,000 lights, 30-foot water geysers, 80 computer-controlled channels, 30 floodlights, a high-definition projection, and a 20-foot mega tree. You drive up to the house, tune to the radio station posted outside, and enjoy your own personal Christmas light show.

When did your display start?

This is my third year. I started decorating our (previous) home in Dublin three years ago with a few strings of lights and a 16 channel computerized controller.

How has the display changed or evolved over the years?

The first year we only had one 16-channel controller, and I had used whatever lights my parents had in the garage. Last year we moved into our new house in Livermore and got two more controllers for a total of 48 channels and added a few more lights. This year we spent night after night, and weekend after weekend building, and assembling this crazy vision I had in my head. We upgraded to five controllers, which gives us a total of 80 channels. We also added water geysers, a mega tree, video, and, of course, more lights!

Where did the idea for this mega light display come from?

After seeing a video on YouTube, I bugged my parents for a year until they allowed me to do it.

Can you discuss the process?

It begins with a vision. I love dreaming the impossible, and making it a reality. After getting the final design, we began building the platforms and props. While all this is happening I am also programming the lights, water geysers, and video to synchronize with the music.  Programming a two-minute song can take 16 hours.  The programming this year took me three months to complete.

Your display looks pretty complicated. How long does it take to set up?

Building and setting up everything took approximately three months.  Setting the lights took 2 weeks of relentless work. We have over three miles of extension cords, and several hundred connections, so you can imagine anything can go wrong.  This year we had a few friends and family helping.

How long does the show run for?

The show runs from through Friday, Dec. 31. Check out LivermoreLights.com for times and directions.

What type of response have you receive from your neighbors and the rest of the community?

Our neighbors are so supportive. Especially our neighbors across the street who have more then once had to wait for cars to move just so they could pull out of their drive way. We love when the community leaves comments on our guest book. Just seeing people's faces light up, and the joy that it brings to people is priceless. I really believe it brings families, and our community together.

How does your light show compare to others in the neighborhood?

Each house decorated for Christmas adds a special feeling to the season. I enjoy driving around and looking at them all. I know that our house will bring a smile to your face, magic in your heart, and hopefully turn into a Christmas tradition. Last year we won a national contest specifically for programming Christmas lights.

Do you consider Deacon Dave's your competition?

Deacon Dave's is unprecedented! He's been doing his display since 1982. His 300,000 lights, and beautiful walk through cannot be beat. We offer a different factor in that we have a light show that is synchronized to music. I highly recommend making both a stop on your light tour this Christmas.

I recognize the music. Is it from the Disneyland fireworks show? How did you choose the music?

Yes! This year I wanted to do the theme of Imagination, and Disney's 'Fantasmic' was a perfect intro to our 10-minute show. Over 100 hours of listening and careful selection goes into the choice of music and editing. I hand pick out the songs, and edit them to fit our theme and feel.

How does something like this affect your energy bill?

Wow, good question. We get this question a lot, and my response is "I'll tell you if you pay it." Each year our show has gotten bigger and more complex. However, just to bring joy, we happily do it.

How do you run it? Ever blown a fuse?

The program starts by a sequencer.  We make sure someone is home each night to make sure everything runs smoothly. This year we blew several fuses, and had to rewire some power so it wouldn't overload our fuses. We have four different sections of power this year.

Have you been hired to do any other homes?

This is our first year offering our services. We are available for the 2011 season. I have several different designs that I am dying to build, and just waiting for someone to open up their yard.

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