With over 18,000 lights synchronized to over 15 different songs shown in 20 minute shows that can be seen daily at 6pm 7pm and 8pm on Tiffany Drive in Schaumburg, it’s easy to see why the home of Todd Mickley has been dubbed:

“Christmas on Tiffany”

We sat down with homeowner, Todd Mickley, for a further look at his display:

Q&A w/Todd Mickley

K3 Lights: So how long have you guys lived in Schaumburg?

TM: 28 years.

K3 Lights: What about your display, how long has that been going on?

TM: We’ve always decorated the house, but we began animating it in 2006.

K3 Lights: What inspired that, animating it that is?

TM: The original “Wizards of Winter Miller Lite commercial that showed lights on a house synchronized to music.

K3 Lights: I hear your home has won some awards?

TM: Yes, we’re the proud winner of the 2010 “Best Overall” category in the Schaumburg Park District’s Holiday Decorating Contest.

K3 Lights: How many songs do you have in your light shows?

TM: There are 15 songs, separated into three shows that last about 20 minutes, about five songs per show; which can be seen daily at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm.

K3 Lights: What about the music? What kind of artist do you incorporate into your display?

TM: It’s a variety of music from Martina McBride, Neil Diamond, Extreme, Goo Goo Dolls, and of course Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

K3 Lights: How did you first learn to do the animations? Synchronizing the display to music that is?

TM: We downloaded a free trial software from “Light-O-Rama” and set up a visualization of our house and gave it a shot. The software was easy to use…and the more you use it, the easier it gets.

K3 Lights: What advice would you have for anyone who wants to try doing this with their home?

TM: Start small, have a plan, have patience, and start in January. We actually start planning for any changes to the show during the holidays, then work on implementing them throughout the year. We try to get all the synchronizing done before fall, but inevitably there are always last minute adjustments. We start laying extension cords right after Halloween and put lights out shortly thereafter.

K3 Lights: Anything crazy ever happen with the show?  Natural or man-made disasters?

TM: In 2009, we had several days of extremely cold weather. It got so cold in fact that the controllers we used to animate the lights weren’t getting enough current to light the lights. Unfortunately, we had to postpone the show for a couple of days until it warmed up again. As a result we had to increase the gauge of the extension cords to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

K3 Lights: For anyone stopping by, what’s the broadcasting frequency of the house?

TM: It’s 89.7FM. You can generally hear the station starting from the end of the block, about 200-300 feet from our house.

Special thanks to Todd Mickley of Christmas on Tiffany in Schaumburg, IL for participating in the “Home of the Week” here on K3Lights.com. If you would like to feature your home on the site, fill out a request today.  All the info can be found simply by clicking here.

Until next week,

-The K3 Lights Team