Lights and music tell the true story of Christmas

Danny Smith turned his rural home and property into a Christmas light story enjoyed by many visitors who have found their way to his country home near Caraway. It is located on Craighead County Road 842 off Highway 139.

Danny Smith has decorated for Christmas with a special lights and music show for visitors to enjoy. (Town Crier photo/Revis Blaylock)

Smith and his wife, Alma, have always enjoyed decorating for the Christmas holidays. Mr. Smith has always been in charge of the outside decorations and Mrs. Smith takes care of the inside making sure every room is decorated.

Mr. Smith has outdone himself this year with a light show, music, nativity scene and the narration of the Christmas story heard on the visitor's car radio as the lights bounce on and off to the beat of the songs such as Christmas with a Capital C.

The Smiths worked at Basler Electric in Caraway for years. Mr. Smith had 32 years and Mrs. Smith had 27 years of service. He was Quality Control Supervisor. When Basler closed earlier in the year, Mr. Smith's computer hobby started growing. He has always enjoyed computers and his Christmas decorating so he combined the two creating a special treat for his granddaughters and visitors to enjoy.

Smith said he got the idea off the internet from the doityourselfchristmas.com site.

Danny Smith controls the lights, music and the Christmas story with his computer.

"Guys who are smarter than me made the boards," he said.

He saw a lighting show on You Tube and found the website and started ordering the parts and software. He built the decorations from wood and from metal. He arranged the lights. He made the manger scene from plywood (another one of his hobbies is woodwork).

What started out as a hobby lasted almost throughout the year.

"I started working on it in January," he said. "My plans were to have it all ready by Thanksgiving for a grand showing for our granddaughters. There was a few times when I didn't know if I was going to get it to work."

Mr. Smith stayed with it and it was ready to turn on after Thanksgiving.

"He got one of the best compliments ever on his lights when our oldest granddaughter told him next to his lights, all the others were like dirt," Mrs. Smith said.

Each tree has 200 red lights and 200 white lights. Mr. Smith programmed it all and changes it occasionally making it a little different. He also reprogrammed the radio reception so visitors can hear it up to one eighth of a mile.

To listen to the song and story, visitors need to turn their car radio to 105.7 FM. The introductory tune is only 40 seconds long but the lights dance to the beat. The entire song and story only lasts four and a half minutes but it is the true story of Christmas.

It has been fun for Mr. Smith to create his lighting display and he has plans to make it even bigger and better next year.

The Smiths love their country home. He is the third generation to live there. It was his grandparents' homeplace.

"We have enjoyed the lights and he has got a lot of response from people in town who have been out to see it," Mrs. Smith said.

The Smiths have always loved Christmas and this is a special gift to their family and friends.