Viewing Public Say the Darndest Things

[Christmas on the Farm 34]

I would like to hear if you have any funny comments from those who have watched your display.

 

I’ll start; yesterday evening I went out to the road to pick up trash from the previous night’s viewers (a story in itself).  A man stopped and asked me “why is this radio station so fuzzy at my house"? I asked where he lived; “in town” (that means at least 2 miles) I replied; I don’t think you can hear it at all there.  He said; it’s just not right.  I said; it would be illegal.

 

Second; a lady came to the door and in the middle of the day asked me to turn on the display as she had driven so far.  I politely let her know she would not be able to see anything anyway as the sun was out in full force.  She went back out to the road and sat there for 20 minutes.

[Shawn M. 19]

Nice family was outside looking at the lights, I told them they needed to have a radio to hear the music. The husband says "I can't believe I can't get the station streaming over the internet". I tried to explain it was just a little transmitter connected to my computer, it didn't register.  

[Duct Tape 9]

This is kind of along the same lines as this topic. 

On Friday night I ran the light show for the first time, but I forgot to plug in the inflatable teddy bear.  I had stole the cord to charge my drill battery that day.  I was out shopping when I decided to peek in on my security cameras to make sure everything was lit up.  I noticed a guy walk into my yard, then mess with the teddy bear.  I was freaking out for a second thinking he was about to steal it.  Turns out that he was trying to plug it in for his kids.  He gave up after a minute.  Dude has some nerve to walk into someone's yard like that.  I''m glad he didn't trip over anything, considering there are lights covering much of the ground.

[Christmas on the Farm 34]

14 hours ago, Shawn M. said:

Nice family was outside looking at the lights, I told them they needed to have a radio to hear the music. The husband says "I can't believe I can't get the station streaming over the internet". I tried to explain it was just a little transmitter connected to my computer, it didn't register.  

Probably has no idea how radio propagation works.

[ChristmasKitten 8]

I had a news interviewer think that the display was synchronized on the spot to a real station. They also said in their press-release that I designed my software. (LOR) He was mightily confused. Ohh... silly people. 

[Christmas on the Farm 34]

1 hour ago, ChristmasKitten said:

I had a news interviewer think that the display was synchronized on the spot to a real station. They also said in their press-release that I designed my software. (LOR) He was mightily confused. Ohh... silly people. 

I've had people ask; "how do you get the radio station to play the songs you want?"

[Crimson Lane Lights Etown 17]

Friday night, from a facebook message, "You should serve cookies and hot chocolate during your show.  Well, if not cookies, just hot chocolate,"   (I just spent three weeks putting up the lights!!  Not even a thanks for the light show.  Cookies my...!

[Big J Illinois 467]

The reason why, we are NOT on spybook....

[slankard 93]

We stand outside and pass out candy canes, and people are always asking my wife if this is our display.  She tells them, "No, we're just strangers who really have the holiday spirit!"

[TED 131]

15 hours ago, Duct Tape said:

This is kind of along the same lines as this topic. 

On Friday night I ran the light show for the first time, but I forgot to plug in the inflatable teddy bear.  I had stole the cord to charge my drill battery that day.  I was out shopping when I decided to peek in on my security cameras to make sure everything was lit up.  I noticed a guy walk into my yard, then mess with the teddy bear.  I was freaking out for a second thinking he was about to steal it.  Turns out that he was trying to plug it in for his kids.  He gave up after a minute.  Dude has some nerve to walk into someone's yard like that.  I''m glad he didn't trip over anything, considering there are lights covering much of the ground.

Just think of him as an overly helpful enthusiast!  Sometimes when I see something that has blown over in someone's yard/display I feel like I should go stand it up for them.  Let's hope that's all this guy was doing.

13 hours ago, ChristmasKitten said:

I had a news interviewer think that the display was synchronized on the spot to a real station. They also said in their press-release that I designed my software. (LOR) He was mightily confused. Ohh... silly people. 

You are one smart kitten!

11 hours ago, Christmas on the Farm said:

I've had people ask; "how do you get the radio station to play the songs you want?"

Bribes.  Lots of bribes.

10 hours ago, Crimson Lane Lights Etown said:

Friday night, from a facebook message, "You should serve cookies and hot chocolate during your show.  Well, if not cookies, just hot chocolate,"   (I just spent three weeks putting up the lights!!  Not even a thanks for the light show.  Cookies my...!

You are welcome to bring some over and serve it!

7 hours ago, slankard said:

We stand outside and pass out candy canes, and people are always asking my wife if this is our display.  She tells them, "No, we're just strangers who really have the holiday spirit!"

No but they pay us a lot to hand out these candy canes for them!

TED

[Stephen Blue 24]

I do a lot of PVC Pole Trees. A lot (55 this year). At least once a year, someone comes up during setup and thinks I am actually setting up a tree lot of fake frees for decoration, and asks how much they are!

 

 

[lenning 8]

I have the santa projection going on in my upstairs window.  A little girl was outside crying in front of my display with her mom trying to comfort her.   I came up and asked if she was ok.  The mom said "She is upset because she wants to know why Santa stays in your house and not hers"!  A candy cane and hot chocolate made it all better.

[Christmas on the Farm 34]

3 hours ago, lenning said:

I have the santa projection going on in my upstairs window.  A little girl was outside crying in front of my display with her mom trying to comfort her.   I came up and asked if she was ok.  The mom said "She is upset because she wants to know why Santa stays in your house and not hers"!  A candy cane and hot chocolate made it all better.

That's great!  Years ago when our display was in town, we were walking up to our door and out of a car sitting right out front a boy said; Mom look! Do they get to live here?

[Digger61 15]

I was working on final touches,  the lights were on the first night,  12/1,  cars are slowing down as they pass by the house getting a good look.    waved to one and said come on in,  as we allow folks to walk through the display, They left on the spot.  Another car stops right in front of the house,  I hear, "look at that, did you see that" my wife says to come in, this couple pull in they and the kids get out, and have a great time looking around.  That's the reason I do it.  the kids faces were spectacular.

[mwalz 110]

I have quite a few neighborhood kids that just light up when they see the display, and their parents love it too. The #1 question i get asked is how do I broadcast the music to radio, some even ask if I have to rent out a station. I just tell them its a $50 transmitter from amazon lol. To us it's common knowledge but to most people they are clueless about the same kind of stuff.

[Aputernut 33]

We don't have  all the craziness of flashing and loud music often not even Xmas music, and no cheesy blow up's at my house, but we do have a beautiful huge display around all 4 sides of our home which can be see from other streets and we do have a string of vintage silver bells that play 8 different carols strung along the rope at the street and we have had couples dancing in the street, folks taking pics./video's and last evening we had a man on his bike, don't know if he was on his phone or what but we heard him say, Hello deer, Ho,ho,ho.  And last year we saw a woman get out of her car and drop something in our mailbox, it was a dollar on which she wrote Thank You for giving us the spirit of Christmas, it's beautiful!  Here's our display, see for yourself!     P.S. We do have a laser light on our Cul de Sac which is done for the kiddies mostly. And all of this is done by us old folks...  73 & 80 years old

 

[Big J Illinois 467]

I guess old people don't like music, blowup's ,or blinking lights, but really dig measle lights.... I hope when I am that age, I can still put up my Silver bells, be seen and call other people's blowup's cheesy. I was always told and raised, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it all all... 

[Duct Tape 9]

42 minutes ago, Big J Illinois said:

I guess old people don't like music, blowup's ,or blinking lights, but really dig measle lights.... I hope when I am that age, I can still put up my Silver bells, be seen and call other people's blowup's cheesy. I was always told and raised, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it all all... 

yeah, I'm not sure why Aputernut felt it was necessary to insult other people's tastes.  

[mwalz 110]

I'm not trying to speak for just myself here, but I think every display has it's own uniqueness and every display is a lot of work especially with more than the basics. We all have different tastes and all like certain things. Not everyone will like your display, not everyone will think its beautiful, just as I prefer lights only over inflatables, doesn't mean a display with inflatables is tasteless, I think they are awesome but just not my cup of tea. Some people feel that way about lights vs their inflatable display. If they have inflatables they may see a display with just lights and think it's boring. Same goes for wire frames, wood cutouts, ect.

[Aputernut 33]

Yeah, they are just lovely especially during the daytime, I should take a pic. of one in my neighborhood the entire lawn cluttered with dead blow ups!  Our display is elegant and every item placed precisely. And it's so easy to clutter everything in the front of a house try doing all 4 sides some time. And try doing it all in 85/90 degrees, when you are in your 70's or 80 years old!  Well we get 2,000+ vehicles plus walkers and bike riders and loads of praise so we'll just keep at it as long as we are able, and no junk on our lawn. And ours is in our local paper every year, we won 1st. prize so it seems we are doing it right.  Not trying to insult anyone just stating a fact is all.

[Duct Tape 9]

10 minutes ago, Aputernut said:

Yeah, they are just lovely especially during the daytime, I should take a pic. of one in my neighborhood the entire lawn cluttered with dead blow ups!  Our display is elegant and every item placed precisely. And it's so easy to clutter everything in the front of a house try doing all 4 sides some time. And try doing it all in 85/90 degrees, when you are in your 70's or 80 years old!  Well we get 2,000+ vehicles plus walkers and bike riders and loads of praise so we'll just keep at it as long as we are able, and no junk on our lawn. And ours is in our local paper every year, we won 1st. prize so it seems we are doing it right.  Not trying to insult anyone just stating a fact is all.

don't hurt your arm there

[slankard 93]

I'm just hoping to make it to 60, and then I'll see what I do.  That is amazing that you're doing all of this in your 70's!

[Aputernut 33]

Thanks slankard but Dh does 90% of it and he will be 80 on Dec. 23rd., plus his Santa workshop fixes for all our neighbors and he's restrung all our deer etc., he can fix anything, light related. We also helped put up a neighbors icicle lights this year, she's afraid of heights and over her entry is high Dh has to get up on the roof. I am the planner and designer, I made our huge wreath and changed over much of our lawn décor from incandescent to LED's like our snowman family etc. Dh does all the wiring and staking down etc. He fixed up a couple deer for our neighbor and I touched up all the rust spots with Rustoleum white. They went back home like new. We just don't like cluttered display's or what I call junky stuff. We have seen some you can't see the display for all the clutter! Some look like all was tossed out on the front lawn, no rhyme or reason and lit up...all done! uh no way not happening like that here.

[Maroonz28 15]

Looks good aputernut. I agree, blow ups are a bit cheesy. 

[The Inflatable King Of Ohio 28]

10 hours ago, mwalz said:

I'm not trying to speak for just myself here, but I think every display has it's own uniqueness and every display is a lot of work especially with more than the basics. We all have different tastes and all like certain things. Not everyone will like your display, not everyone will think its beautiful, just as I prefer lights only over inflatables, doesn't mean a display with inflatables is tasteless, I think they are awesome but just not my cup of tea. Some people feel that way about lights vs their inflatable display. If they have inflatables they may see a display with just lights and think it's boring. Same goes for wire frames, wood cutouts, ect.

My display consists of 78 inflatables, about 3,700 lights and a few blow molds. I spent 5 days putting it up with no help at all. I have a variety of things out like lights, inflatables, blow molds, and those pre lit characters.