Extreme Decorations: Hanson Family Christmas Lights

(ABC 6 News) – On 5th Street SW in Plainview lives the Hanson family. Their home is pretty hard to miss. That’s because of 450,000 lights and counting.

“Usually right after Halloween it’s pretty much an every night, every weekend deal until it’s done and get everything going,” said Matt Hanson who puts the show together.

“I usually spend Thanksgiving day finishing it up.”

The Hanson’s sync their lights to more than a dozen songs. It’s been a tradition for nearly a decade.

“The computer side of things is definitely the longest.”

While Matt works on the outside, his wife Joanna is more focused on the inside decorations.

“It’s ok. I feel like it can be a lot of pressure because so many people look forward to it,” said Joanna.

“It takes a lot of time and a lot of work. Although I don’t do much of it, I hear about it.”

She hears of the cars that line their street to see the show. A show Matt says might only last a few more years.

“I’ll do it maybe a couple more years. The kids are all grown now and don’t want to help as much anymore,” added Matt.

“It’s not as big of a thing for them anymore as when they were little.

Their son Kyle said his favorite part is taking the lights down. With how much stress it puts on his dad, Kyle and his brother Alex might carry on the tradition in a smaller way.

“Maybe a couple of strands of 100 or more,” said Kyle. For Alex, he said, “maybe a couple.”

Surprisingly, the Hanson’s energy bill is about $30. That’s compared to the summer when the Hansons run their pool and air conditioning. Matt said the bill is so low because the lights are LED.

The Hanson Family Christmas Lights show runs through January 1st. You can stop by between Sunday and Thursday from 5-9:30 p.m. The show runs until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Make sure your radio is synched to 88.1 FM to get the full experience.

If you would like to be a part of the Extreme Decorations series, email Sydney Zatz at szatz@kaaltv.com.