Christmas display a tradition
BUFFALO TWP — For years, people have been admiring the sights of Tyler Huth's elaborate Christmas light display. Now Butler County's own Clark Griswold has added sound to the mix.
With a computer and an FM transmitter, Huth has ensured the people driving past his home at 302 Parker Road will be able to listen to music synchronized to a part of his light display.
“We programmed the music to the show,” said Huth. “It's on FM 88.1. We have two songs right now. It's our first year of programming. It's been a little bit of a learning curve.”
Huth said he uses Light-O-Rama software and a controller to broadcast “Wizards in Winter” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and “Carol of the Bells” by David Foster, songs which can be picked up by radios within 400 feet of the Huths' house.
This latest refinement is just part of the 40-year tradition of the Huth Christmas display, started by Tyler Huth's grandfather, Regis Huth, and his father, David Huth, at the former family home in Freeport and which has continued when Huth and his family — wife Courtney, son Garrett, 5, and daughters, Kiana, 10, and Camryn, 1 — moved to their present Buffalo Township house.
“I remember going up on the roof with Dad to put lights on,” he said.
His father died when Huth was 8. But he and his mother, Janeen Kush, kept the light-up tradition alive, at least in an abbreviated form, until Huth got older.
“Our tradition is, the day after Christmas, my mother and I go out and look for half-price Christmas lights,” he said. “That's our Black Friday.”
His display is a constantly evolving spectacle.
He said, “I've got 12 new items, and a bunch more on the way.
“Another thing we do is we refurbish old Christmas decorations that we find on Craigslist or Facebook,” Huth said, that is when he isn't fashioning figures out of PVC pipe and festooning with lights.
There's a lot of retro favorites. There are three light-up choir boy figures that are 50 years old.
“There are three deer at the top of the hill behind the house that I bought 20 years ago. I've just restrung them with LED lights.”
With so many lights — he estimates this year's display contains 33,000 to 35,000 lights — it takes a while to get everything set up.
Especially since he works for Binz and Huth Plumbing and Heating, is co-owner of Dark Lock Productions of Freeport, which does apparel, sign and banner printing, and is co-owner with his wife of KGC Balloons.“With three businesses and three kids and being involved with organizations in Freeport, it's tough, but we do our best,” he said of the display which starts to be assembled before the last of the Halloween candy is eaten.“This year we started on Oct. 28. We try not to do it that early because we like to celebrate Halloween, just not as much as Christmas,” he said.“Sometimes, I'll work full weekends from Friday to Sunday. I'll use gaps between jobs whenever I can,” Huth said, adding Garrett is starting to continue the family tradition by helping him string lights and set up figures.“Plugging in light strands, that's Garrett's favorite. He loves to test the lights,” he said.And since the display covers his house, deck, side yard, shrubbery and the backyard that rises behind the house, there's a lot to set up. Perennial favorites include a Santa on a motorcycle with spinning wheels and an elf “shooting” presents out of a cannon.“One of my favorites is a two-piece train made out of PVC that is 7 feet tall and 4 feet long,” Huth said. “It's one of the most difficult. The engine is in two pieces that has to be pulled in half to be taken down.”“I like the look of animated figures. I've always liked a mixture,” said Huth. “This year some of the display is synchronized to music.”
“I have a little bit of everything,” he said. “I like a mixture of colors and odd items.”“The hills and valley around here really create a wind tunnel, so everything we put up we have to be sure to anchor down,” Huth said.Courtney Huth said she handles the indoor decorating.“I usually stay in here. The boys do the outside. My daughters and I do the inside,” she said.Huth's decoration dedication equals that of the fictional Clark Griswold from “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.”“For Christmas one year, Mom and my stepdad, Ed Kush, got me the Blackhawks jersey that he (actor Chevy Chase) wears in the movie,” he said.“We call him Mr. Christmas,” said Courtney. “The joke last year when I was pregnant was I better not have her on Christmas.”But in the movie when Griswold flips on his display, his electric meter starts to spin wildly and the neighboring houses' lights dim.This is one case where life doesn't imitate art, he said.“Before we started using LED lights, our power bill went up quite a bit,” Huth said.“The power bill goes up less than $20 a month. Surprisingly it really doesn't do much to our bill,” he said.The display attracts visitors, he said. “People drive by and stop and put their four-ways on.”The light show begins at 6 p.m. and continues until 10, when Huth pulls the plug in consideration of his neighbors.The lights will stay up until Jan. 5 when Huth begins to take everything down and pack it away for next year.Of course, he said, he'll spend the rest of the time dreaming up new configurations and new refinements.“We watch 'The Great American Light Fight' every year” Huth said, “That's Garrett's goal to someday be on the show. We've got a ways to go.”
