If you're looking for a great place to take the kids this Christmas season, may I suggest you drive by 1 Carlson Court in Jackson?

That's where Michael and Carol Cook have not only decorated their home for Christmas, but put on an incredible show. Check out this video.

Michael called my New Jersey 101.5 radio show and later explained more in an email:

My wife and I put on a Christmas light show at 1 Carlson Ct. in Jackson. This is our 11th year doing the show. Prior to this, we decorated using a Mr. Christmas box that had 6 channels, an internal speaker and no flexibility to modify the show.

 

When that stopped working, we found a way to do a larger synchronized show. We now have almost 8k pixels, a 1,008-pixel matrix, 4 singing trees, many other pixel props and a 3,200 LED light spiral tree.

Photo- Youtube, The Cook's Christmas Lights, December 8, 2022
Photo- Youtube, The Cook's Christmas Lights, December 8, 2022
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We started doing the show 12 years ago because we love Christmas and want to share that with others. As our show grew, viewers began asking us if we accepted donations, which got us thinking that, in addition to sharing some Christmas cheer, we could help to make a meaningful contribution to a great cause.

 

We decided to start accepting donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s a personal cause because one of our family members was diagnosed with MS in 2013.

 

It always amazes and humbles us when we see so many viewers' generosity. During this Christmas season we will, hopefully, break $50,000 raised.

Photo- Youtube, The Cook's Christmas Lights, December 8, 2022
Photo- Youtube, The Cook's Christmas Lights, December 8, 2022
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Doing a show like this is a time-consuming hobby. We start building new additions in June or July, and I start sequencing the music in August. This way we can be sure to have everything completed in time for our show to go live.

 

We start putting up the decorations at the beginning of October. In addition to putting items in the yard, we also have many props on the house. To enable us to put some of those up, we even rent a boom lift.

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With events of the last couple of years, our show has become even more important to us. COVID has left a lasting impact on many. We have had many visitors tell us how our show has brought them joy, or some sense of normalcy to their lives.

 

We love it when visitors tell us that they come every year and that coming to our house has become part of their Christmas traditions. We love it when we receive handmade cards from kids, and love seeing their faces when they watch the lights. We have even had a couple of proposals happen during our show.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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