All posts by Phil

Christmas Season 2023

DO NOT PARK ACROSS THE STREET.

Oh, we mean…

…but seriously, if you tell anyone about our lights, please also tell them not to park across the street. With that out of the way….. We are up and running for 2023. It was a little touch and go for a bit as some of our equipment wasn’t running reliably, but we think it’s okay now (fingers crossed). Be sure to check this Facebook page before making a long drive to avoid disappointment. We do our best to keep it running but things happen, and we’ll mention it there if we know about it. Since the equipment has been un-reliable you may want to come sooner rather than later, just in case.

We plan to run 5-9:30 pm through Dec 25th. It may go longer but we’ll take it down the first relatively warm day after that.

We are more concerned with traffic than usual as our closest holiday lighting neighbors at Beans Corner Lights are dark this year, so PLEASE pass the word not to park across the street, and to respect our neighbors with quiet radios, no honking, and no blocking driveways. This neighborhood just isn’t like the parking lot at our old location.

We’re at 38 Applegate Lane in Wilton. Please approach via AppleWOOD from Orchard Drive (not Orchard direct to Applegate) to be on the right side of the road. You can get directions here. Tune to 96.9FM (quietly).

Thank you all, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2022

We’re finally up and running for 2022.

We need your help, however. In the past we have had a few folks who did not respect our neighbors, and we really can’t have that. So we’re asking that if you come to see the lights that you abide by the following:

  • Do not turn around or park in any driveway except ours. The road loops around back to Orchard Drive so there is no reason to turn around anyway.
  • It is not okay to park across the street. Pulling over on our side is fine.
  • Keep your radio down so it cannot be heard outside of your car. It’s louder and carries farther than you think (especially heavy bass). Step outside and check sometime.
  • Do not honk.
  • If you tell anyone about the lights, tell them about these rules, too.

Most folks hear about us by word of mouth, and these things are important to mention. If folks disrespect our neighbors then we can’t do this anymore. Humbug.

So with that out of the way, we’re up and running at 38 Applegate Lane in Wilton (please approach from AppleWOOD lane, see below) from 5:00 to 9:30 pm until Christmas, and then until the first relatively warm day after that so we can take everything down (or Dec 31st, whichever comes first). We will also shut down if traffic gets out of hand and our neighbors are not being respected.

If you come in to Applegate Lane by way of Applewood Lane then you’ll already be on the right side of the road. Just take the first left after Applegate onto Applewood if you’re coming from Wilton, and then another left onto Applegate to find us. Once you’re here you can tune to 96.9 FM, park in OUR driveway, or stop on OUR side of the road.

Please remember that we may be down some nights due to extreme weather or equipment issues. The lights we use aren’t your ordinary off-the-shelf Christmas lights and they’re very sensitive to water issues. We’ll try to post on Facebook when we’re down but can’t promise.

Be sure to check out Bean’s Corner Lights. They’re about 7 minutes away, and have a much better parking situation.

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and best wishes for all of our other seasonal holidays this time of year. Or as we like to say, Merry Christma-kwanza-hanukkah! Blessings to all!

Christmas 2018

Due to the very early onset of freezing temps, several inches of wet snow that froze pretty solid, and an old back injury that picked a bad time to flare up, we will not be able to get much up for Christmas this year. We’ve simply lost too many weekends of prep time. Our apologies to those who have made us part of their family Christmas traditions. If all goes well we will be back next year.

Our holiday lighting neighbors over at Beans Corner Lights are still doing their best to make a go of it this year, so be sure to check them out.

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and best wishes for all of our other seasonal holidays this time of year. Or as we like to say, Merry Christmakwanzahanukkah! Blessing to all!

Christmas 2017 – New Location

It took some doing but we’re finally up and running at our new home (still in Wilton but at a new address) for the 2017 Christmas season. Here are the important details:

  • Parking (or lack thereof) – Our new home is in a far more densely populated area. The street is much narrower and there is no off-street parking. This means 10-20 cars parked at once is no longer an option. You are free to use the limited space at the top of our driveway, but if we pull up in front of or behind you please move your car so we can get through (please also turn off your headlights while you’re there).
  • Neighbors – We’ve got a lot more neighbors now, and it’s important to respect them. Please do NOT turn around in any driveways. The road loops around back to Orchard Drive so there is no need to do so. Several of our neighbors are very protective of their landscaping, so please don’t pull over onto their side of the road. There is no shoulder on this street. And of course, with more neighbors it’s even more important that you refrain from honking.
  • Songs – Because we don’t have the space for people to park for long periods, and stopping in the street is essentially blocking an entire lane, we have cut back the song list considerably to just a few. Probably just 2 at a time. We may swap out which songs are running each night, but it will no longer be a 15-30 minute set. Wilton Lights broadcasts on 96.9 FM. Please keep your radio down so as not to disrupt our neighbors.
  • Fewer Lights – We still haven’t gotten lights up on the house yet. Our custom order LEDs didn’t arrive in time to get them mounted and configured with our computer/lighting network. We hope to get them up for Halloween 2018, but for now the only lights are in the yard on display items (Charlie and Snoopy, the trees, etc).
  • Wilton Food Pantry – We don’t have a collection box out by the road this year for the Wilton Food Pantry. We’re still working on the logistics of that. You are welcome to make a donation online, however, and we will see that it gets there. They are a wonderful organization.
  • How To Find Us – (If you skipped to this paragraph, please read the rest of this post first, we’ll wait…) With all that said, our new home is at 38 Applegate Lane, off of Orchard Drive in Wilton. It would be best to come in from Applewood and turn left on to Applegate so that you are on the right side of the road. When coming from Wilton just go past Applegate and take your next left on to Applewood. Here is a handy link to get directions to Wilton Lights.
  • Hours – We plan to run 5:00 to 9:00 through Christmas, and until there is a warm day to take things down after that, but no later than New Years. We may be offline for tech problems and bad weather. Our new home uses GFCI outlets outdoors so we will be more prone to issues with rain/wet snow than we were in the past. Sorry. We will also shut things down if people do not stay off of our neighbor’s driveways and lawns. There is no shoulder on this street.

Thanks for your understanding and have a Merry Christmas!

– The Hiltons

 

What’s Happening in 2016-2017?

A quick update for 2016-2017: As most folks have learned by now we moved this past spring (that’s right, you can stop telling us to mow the lawn – it isn’t our lawn anymore).

The good news is that we are still in Wilton, and not too far from our old location. Though we aren’t going to share the address right away. No need.

In any case, due to the new neighborhood, budget changes, and time constraints we aren’t yet sure how much of a display we will be setting up this year. If we do get something up it will be on a smaller scale than in previous years. We haven’t had the time or money to build custom props for the new house yet, and not everything translates well to a new location.

In any case, we will get something up eventually, we’re just not sure what yet.

Hopefully this post will cut back on some of the email we’ve been getting.

We’ll update our facebook page when we know more.

Happy Halloween!

Up & Running for 2015

We’re live from 5 to 9:30 PM every night until January 1st. As always, please refrain from honking, keep your radio down so we can’t hear it across the street inside the house (it happens more often then you would think), and leave your parking lots on for safety! Merry Christmas all!

Almost There!

We’re almost there! Pending any last minute maintenance issues, we plan to start things up Friday, December 11th at 6 PM, and then run 5:00 to 9:30 PM the rest of the season (Until January 1st).

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

  1. We replaced our entire control system this year and have to re-program our music synchronization, so our song list is limited for the time being. There will be at least 3 songs in rotation (more if we’re lucky), and more will be added over time. Of those 3, 2 are new, and 1 of them is Star Wars themed.
  2. If you are making a long drive or have kids who might be disappointed, always check our facebook page for any issues before making the trip. With the new system we anticipate there will be some hiccups. We’ll post a notice here if we are offline for more than a few minutes (and we’re home to know about it, obviously). Consider activating “Notifications for All Posts” on our page if you really want to be kept up to date.
  3. Please avoid honking at the house. We appreciate the support, but it usually just startles us or our 3 year old, and let’s be honest – when you live here, it gets old after awhile. …Just sayin’.
  4. As in past years we are accepting monetary donations for the Wilton Food Pantry. There is a secure/locked donation box on the back of our sign. If you wish to say thanks for the display, please redirect your good will in that direction. This isn’t about us. Pay it forward.
  5. Always leave your parking lights on at a minimum, and don’t forget your headlights before pulling back out in to traffic.

Many thanks to Ben, Henry and Amanda for helping to set up this year.

Merry Christmas, all! And thanks for your patience!