For 11 months of the year, it’s an unassuming house near the railway tracks in the quiet community of Novar. But when December rolls around, the home and yard belonging to Greg and Pam Smith are transformed into a dazzling display of holiday spirit.
For the past eight years or so, Greg and Pam and a few dozen friends have been setting up a light show to rival that of Clark Griswold…but better. Meticulously timed to coordinate with the beats and melodies of a variety of holiday tunes, the display is mesmerizing.
The lights―a combination of LED, RGB Pixel, and standard incandescents, 46,000 in all―are all controlled by a computer program. Each song includes a variety of effects. There’s even a towering Christmas tree that displays both images and text. Music plays quietly outside, and thanks to a low-power FM transmitter you can also sit in your car and tune in to the tunes.
There’s a path you can wander down, and a swing where you can pause for a photo. And if you’re lucky, Greg might appear with a basket full of candy canes to wish the carloads―and busloads―a happy holiday. (You might also recognize Greg as the chief engineer of the Portage Flyer train at Muskoka Heritage Place.)
You’ll find the Smiths’ light display on Boundary Road in Novar, just across the railway tracks. They plan to leave it up until about January 5, 2020. Here’s a sneak peek:
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Anyone know if it’s happening this year (2022)? Raphi’s dying to go 🙂
Thank you Greg, Pam and friends. Having heard about your great light show we took our grandchildren for a pre-Christmas visit. We were very impressed. Greg stopped by to offer us candy canes and invited us to get out of our car to walk through the display. What a great example of the Spirit of Christmas, sharing with others.
#NovarCity
My two sons and I were there on Christmas Eve Eve and it is absolutely worth seeing, brilliantly done. Assuming Greg designs it, he’s an artist. Those little evergreen trees in front sometimes flash to individual notes of instrumental solos. I had the pleasure of meeting both him and Pam as they were giving out candy-canes (as if the light show isn’t generous enough!) and they are lovely people. Thanks and have the merriest of Christmases and a wonderful new year, Greg and Pam and the few dozen friends!