Jim Mortensen likes the holiday season. A lot. So much so that
every year he transforms his normally average Windsor home into an
extreme gingerbread house illuminating the neighborhood and
thrilling visitors who have come by to admire his work.
The transformation from house to holiday starts with a large
gingerbread colored tarp. Decorations and lights are then attached
to the building, the gutters become candy canes and the garage
becomes a happening holiday scene. Mortensen said that he usually
spends a full week installing the tarp, lights and decorations into
his Melva Court home.
“Those are full days with help from family,” he said. This year,
he took an extra three days to install a complicated computer
controlled system from Light O Rama that synchronizes the lights to
music. “Every single light which comes on was personally programed
by me,” he said. “It has 128 separate signals, it’s quite extensive
work. I didn’t know what I was getting into to have to program each
one, if I wanted a section on I’d have to go back in and program
it.”
In the past, Mortensen used traditional style lights but this
year he has replaced the entire collection with energy efficient
LED lights. In addition to cutting power usage, the more advanced
lights were necessary to accommodate the musical programming. “With
this program the lights have to work immediatly,” he said.
“Florescent light take a few seconds, when you turn on another
light, turn them on and off, they have a residual light which stays
on. With the LED lights, they are energy effecient lights,
immediate and no delay whatsoever.”
The lights are coordinated with Christmas songs that play
outside the home and are broadcast on 88.1 FM. “We do a simulcast
on a radio frequency, like people use for iPods,” he said. “You can
hear the music in your car so you don’t have to be standing in
front of the house.”
Mortensen planned ahead for his switch, descending on every
after Christmas sale he could find last year to stock up on the new
lights. “I’m ‘Mr. After Christmas Special Guy,’” he said.
Mortensen traced his love of holiday decorations to his
grandmother who began creating her own “extreme Christmas house” in
1957. She would attach a life size santa and reindeer to her clay
tile roof and fill the yard with elves. “I grew up around this, I
watched her whenever I was over there,” he said. “I just remember
all the fond memories.”
The decorating tradition has become a family affair in the
Mortensen household. Jim said his son helped cut out many of the
current decorations and his daughters helped paint. He said his
kids also provided feedback on his design concepts. Mortensen said
he would take photos of the house then draw his potential designs
on the picture. He eventually decided on the gingerbread theme as
it provided a unique focal point for his efforts.
In the past, Mortensen has spent several hundred dollars
powering the display but thanks to a prorated energy plan from
PG&E that spreads the cost of electricity over a 12 month
period, Mortensen said his power bills only increase by
approximately $50 during the lighting.
He said the cost was well worth the reaction from visitors.
“People just walk up and smile,” he said. “People always ask why I
do it. I say so that just for a few moments you and your family can
experience real peace and joy.”
Mortensen said when people first approach the display, it helps
them clear out the stress of the outside world and help focus on
the fun of the holidays. While his display brings some increased
traffic to the area, especially on Christmas eve, he said his
neighbors have all been supportive. “They literally brought out
lawn chairs just to watch it. Many have never seen anything like
this before and a lot never knew it was a possibility.”
The family still watch their power usage while the lights are on
to avoid a black out. “We don’t vacuum when the lights are on,” he
said.
The lights are on Sunday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.,
Friday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Christmas and New
Years almost all night.
