Gift to the Community: Anderson Family Creates Amazing Christmas Light Show

    Hundreds of people have stopped by Neil and Ruth Anderson's home during the Christmas season to view their marvelous light show. They have been doing it for 12 years and it was been dubbed the "Big white Mormon Christmas house," as people tell their friends about it.
    Below are three views of this year's production taken during the short Mormon video (O Holy Night) that was shown as part of the program. Two other Christmas songs with moving and twinkling lights completed the show. People watch the program from their cars as they are tuned into radio FM 98.7 to listen as they watch. The Anderson's home is located on Lower Sacramento Rd. near Elm St.

Did you ever wonder how the Andersons pull this off? First there's Neil, the engineer who dreams it all up and figures out how to make it work.  Then there's Ruth who chooses the music and programs the computer.  She uses three programs, each handling a different segment of the show, then puts the three together.  It takes her around 100 hours to do this. She said it can be an "arduous, frustrating, and taxing process."

    All of the lights have to go with the music being played.  It has become easier through the years as Ruth has fine-tuned it, and sometimes uses music more than once. Below left shows a control system that is complicated, but had to be used in past performances.  Now everything is "hot wired" top-right.  Below, Ruth is checking out the movie screen that lies on the ground until time for the video to run, then it stands up. (Another of Neil's inventions.)

  This is an amazing gift to the community and is something we can be proud to share with our friends. A big thanks to the Andersons for the time, money, and devotion they have given Lodi for 12 years!