Christmas light display in Merced guaranteed to awe audiences

More than 30,000 holiday lights dance and flicker to music at the Smith household in Merced, providing a spectacular free show guaranteed to impress holiday audiences of all ages.

Since 2009, Tom and Melissa Smith have dressed up their home with a dazzling display of lights coordinated to move with music. But don’t expect to hear the traditional holiday tunes at this uniquely decorated home.

“We wanted to do something different than what you’d hear at the mall,” said Tom Smith, a former musician whose song choices include everything from rock ’n’ roll classics to instrumental ballads. “It’s like my creative outlet, and each year we’ve gotten bigger and bigger.”

Tom, 42, and wife Melissa, 40, also decorate their home for Halloween. But it’s not as simple as hanging a bunch of lights, Tom Smith said, who worked on the display for nearly a month. Coordinating the lights to dance with the music takes a lot of technical work and planning, he said.

But the family continues the effort every year for the Merced community, especially the kids.

“We like to see the reactions from the kids,” Tom Smith said. “It’s an honor to be a part of people’s family traditions. We sit out on the porch a lot and listen to the ‘oohs and aahs’ from the cars and that makes us feel good.

“There are so many reasons people get down about Merced,” he added, “and we want to raise it up.”

Melissa Smith said the family’s home will also feature snowmen, elves and a Santa Claus in the front yard. “We love doing this, and next year, we’re going to be doing even more,” she said.

The Smith home is at 1298 Verdon Court in Merced. The show runs from 5 to 11 p.m. until Jan. 3.

This story was originally published December 19, 2014 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Christmas light display in Merced guaranteed to awe audiences."