2015

Rumor mill rumors
Friday night we cranked up the satellite dish and caught the opening episode for Gold Rush on the Discovery channel. Vast landscapes of pristine snow. All us elves got a bit misty eyed because it so looked like home here at the North Pole. Unfortunately, Santa hasn’t let us outside for over a month because toy demands are through the roof this year. We’re not complaining, at least not too much. Busy elves are elves staying out of trouble. The more toys we build means the more smiles there will be on faces come Christmas day. Remember Big Mouth Billy…
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Top 10 Christmas Spirit definitions
It’s a little too easy to get caught up in all the Christmas hype this time of year. If you were from another galaxy and landed here in the middle of December you would conclude Earthlings do nothing but buy stuff in great quantity while bragging they all have the spirit of Christmas. So exactly what is this Christmas thing? In the PlanetChristmas Forums there’s been a slow burning thread trying to define the Christmas experience and Christmas spirit. Let’s just say a lot of deep thought is happening. For this edition of the magazine we thought we could summarize…
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Our forecast for the Top 10 music tunes
At PlanetChristmas we get to see a lot of Christmas light displays and in our Spring 2015 issue we figured out the most popular tunes for 2014. We checked with various sequence vendors and then scanned YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook for Christmas light shows where the lights danced to the music. Wow! What creativity. It didn’t take long to figure out people really liked Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the theme song from Disney’s movie Frozen in 2014. Now that we’re so smart we talked to more music producers about what they thought would be hot for 2015. This is tough because…
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Music Licensing
Let’s chat about music for a moment. Music and Christmas go hand-in-hand just about as much as eggnog and rum go in mug-and-glass. A growing number of Christmas decorators (both commercial and noncommercial) are enhancing their displays with music, either in the form of pleasant background atmosphere or a dazzling synchronized light show. In fact, many of our companies are built on the very idea of synchronizing stellar lighting choreography (sequences) to music. Music brings with it a deep sense of tradition, emotion, and legal confusion. What? Yes, PlanetChristmas forum members have spent years debating the question of music licensing,…
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More indoor decorating
Fall is here and in much of the world that means the reappearance of orange, brown, yellow, and of course, pumpkin spice everything! We have some simply amazing ideas to help your house look and feel like fall. This first centerpiece is simple yet classy and elegant. All you need are some of those beautiful fall leaves, a strand of pure white or warm white bulbs, a clear vase – any shape or size will work – and some modpodge! Drill a hole in the bottom of the vase to slide the lights through. Modpodge the leaves to the inside…
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More from the rumor mill
Microsoft has determined the attention span of a human is eight seconds. Mythbusters figured out a goldfish can stay focused 30-45 seconds. Finally it’s been proven once and for all that if you want something done right, engage a goldfish. It certainly explains the actions of the younger elves around this place. Get them out of the workshop and long noses are-all-but glued to their smartphones checking on the latest non-information from Facebook and Twitter. What does all this mean for Christmas decorators? Either install some sort of smartphone jamming device or make your work more interesting than the Kardashians…
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Top 10 Christmas show tunes
At PlanetChristmas we get to see a lot of Christmas light displays. The staff started wondering if there was any such thing as a Top 10 list of tunes used in these shows. None could be found so we’re taking on the responsibility. Let’s just say it’s a lot easier said than done. We checked with various sequence vendors and then scanned YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook for Christmas light shows where the lights danced to the music. Wow! What creativity. It didn’t take long to figure out people really like Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the theme song from Disney’s movie Frozen…
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Halloween versus Christmas
In the past, it seemed that no two holidays could be at more opposite ends of the spectrum than Christmas and Halloween. Today, however, Halloween is viewed more as theatrics and entertainment than the celebration of something dark and has subsequently made major gains in popularity. Home haunters, professional haunts and theme parks are all growing their Halloween offerings to include much more technology… much of which overlaps into Christmas as well as other holidays and even other areas outside of holidays. As an example, when we first designed the FireFly lightning simulator family, it was all about Halloween. Churches…
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Sleigh Time
The only thing that could improve your high tech Christmas display is a Santa sleigh direct from the 19th century! We decorate our homes with the latest in LED lights. They’re synchronized by computer to our favorite Christmas carols. Not only can our displays be seen from other planets, but they sometimes remind viewers of a space ship. This is all very cool, but maybe we need to balance our displays with a nod to Christmas past. Let’s add a little influence reminiscent of Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas. Our mission at Christmas Past Sleigh Company is to take…
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Blowmold renewal
Collecting and showing off blow molds is a passion many of us have. The thrill of finding an elusive piece is matched only when we can get it looking like it was brand new. How do you renew an old mold? Time, some chemicals and a lot of elbow grease yield great results. Trust me. I want your blow mold to look great so follow these easy instructions. Supplies needed: Natural bristle or plastic scrub brush (caution: a wire brush can scratch the plastic) Old toothbrush Paper towels or clean cotton rags Large bucket Mild dish detergent Ammonia (use lemon…
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