It all started In 2006…

Tim and Katie were expecting their first child in October and Tim wanted to do something special for his son Derek’s first Christmas. Tim decided to put a “few” lights on the house and have them dance to music. At the time the idea of synchronized lights was somewhat of a new concept and the Macrinas were possibly the first family in the area to do such a thing. To accomplish Tim and Katie’s grand idea Tim used a small FM transmitter, 3 light controllers from Light-O-Rama, an old computer to control the lights and every extension cord Tim could find. Not only was 2006 the year Katie and Tim celebrated the birth of their first child but also the birth of “Christmas On Sunset”.

Fast forward 18 months and the Macrinas were expecting their second child. In May of 2008 Molly was born giving Tim plenty of time to think about adding to the display to celebrate Molly’s first Christmas. Tim came up with the idea of adding a mega tree to the display and the idea was quickly dubbed “Molly’s Mega Tree”. That summer Tim dug a hole in the front yard and poured a cement footer that could be used to anchor the mega tree. The mega tree featured over 16,000 lights that would draw over 55 amps and it could be seen flashing from the top of Mount Penn. The lights on the tree produced so much heat that the grass underneath grew 5 inches compared to the grass that was located outside of it.

Fast forward a few more years to 2012 and the Macrinas are starting to look for a new home. Tim wanted his last year on Sunset Road to be as spectacular as possible so he asked his neighbors if they would like to decorate their houses in their own style and he would add the “blinky - flashy” light control. The display appeared to be a great success for the community. The traffic was steadily increasing as Christmas day approached. Then one evening Tim was outside taking photos of the display when he received a phone call. The gentlemen calling was from the casting department of a new show called “Lights Camera Christmas”. Tim was skeptical at first but quickly caught on that this was the real thing. The Macrinas decided to apply to be on the show and after a few months were told that they would be a contestant and had the chance to win $50,000! In the early spring of 2013 the Macrinas started to look for a new home in Wyomissing.

2013 was a very eventful year for the Macrinas. In July the Macrinas settled on a new home located on Lincoln Court. In August Tim was already working on the light display with the help of friends and family. A second mega tree was added to the display along with 5 leaping light arches and a few other additions. The larger home required many more lights and of course many more extension cords. Filming for the TV show which was now going to be called “The Great Christmas Light Fight” started in October. After some initial interviews were conducted by the film crews Tim was given 3 weeks to setup all of the display. In early November judges Sabrina Soto and Michael Moloney arrived at Christmas On Lincoln for the grand reveal and the judges were “thoroughly impressed”. A few weeks after the reveal, Tim received a phone call from a producer asking if the judges could come back and tell the Macrinas in person who they chose as a winner. When the film crew arrived there were many more crew members compared to the previous filming dates. The crew asked the Macrinas to stay inside the house until they were asked to come outside. After what seemed to be an eternity the Macrinas heard what appeared to be a hot rod car honk its horn. The Macrinas went outside and were met by Sabrina and Michael. After a few brief comments from the judges the Macrinas were told that they were “The champions of the Great Christmas Light Fight”.

Since 2013 the display has changed somewhat. LED lights (RGB pixels) that can change colors have replaced the green incandescent lights on the window wreaths. A few blow molds have been added to the sides of the driveway in order to hold garland with RGB pixels. A new star was added to the mega tree that also included RGB pixels. Various other props have been featured throughout the years including a trivia game that viewers play while in viewing the display from their cars. The display continues to evolve and will start it’s 15th season in November of 2020.