Let There Be Light

It was love that made Carson Williams do it. When he and his wife moved to a new house on a quiet cul-de-sac in Mason, Ohio, nine years ago, she asked him to put up some Christmas lights. "For the first few years, I just made them blink. Then I started choreographing them to music," says Williams, a computer professional and self-proclaimed geek.

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More About

• Carson Williams
• Mason (Ohio)
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Miller Lite
• Christmas

Each year, the number of blinding LED lights dancing on and off to the tunes of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in his yard increased, as did the size of the crowds that inched their cars along his no-longer-calm street to marvel at them. Last year the frenzy reached its apex when video footage of the display hit the Internet, prompting coverage on Today and inclusion in a famous Miller Lite commercial. Williams finally had to turn the lights off: "With the Internet fame going crazy, the traffic got so bad that it took me thirty minutes to get back into my house. It was just better for the community."

And ours. Northfield at Stapleton developers Forest City Enterprises asked Williams to stage a large-scale version of the light show at the new outdoor shopping mall. He agreed, and Symphony in Lights debuted last week. Shake your tryptophan haze and stop by tonight for the spectacular 250,000-light extravaganza. If you can't get off the couch, the show will brighten the skies each evening through New Year's Eve, playing every hour on the hour between 6 and 9 p.m.

Northfield is at 8340 East 49th Avenue, near I-70 and Quebec Street; call 303-375-5464 or go to www.northfieldstapleton.com for more details.
Nov. 18-Dec. 31, 6-9 p.m.; Thu., Nov. 23