By Karen Hall

Editor

For the third year in a row, the Hill family have turned their home and yard into a fabulous Christmas light show. It's definitely worth the drive out into the country to 2145 Coble Meadows Drive to see it.

Nathan Hill's message at the start of the show states there are 80,000 lights and five miles of extension cords.

"We are so excited for another year to share our joy of Christmas with the community," wrote Hill in an email. "We are hearing from many families who are making our lights part of their yearly family tradition. We hope it brings joy and happiness to everyone who sees them. God bless you all and Merry Christmas."

The display includes a "North Pole" sign, a "Let It Snow" sign, a "Merry Christmas" sign, Santa in his sleigh, a train of toys, and a carriage pulled by a high-stepping horse. Those are the more static items: the lights only move to show the horse is prancing, the train is rolling, and so on.

The real spectacular part of the display is made up of eight little trees, a big tree, semi-circular hoops, and two poles. The lights on these are constantly changing color, and constantly in motion, all in perfect time to some of the Hills' "most favorite" Christmas songs.

Also moving with the music are lights on the house: across the porch railing, along the eaves, on the roof, and all over the downstairs windows.

There are two donation boxes, Hill explains in his message, and if you choose to give something it will be going towards a good cause. The money will go toward a mission trip Hill and some other men from LifeSong Family Church will take with Hearts of Honduras in February 2014 to help build an elementary school in Honduras.

The light show will run daily from 5 to 10 p.m. until after Christmas.

To find 2145 Coble Meadows Drive, go out Verona Caney Road towards Verona, and turn left on Double Bridges Road. If you get to the Billy Pope Memorial Bridge over the railroad track you've gone too far. Coble Meadows Drive is a right turn off Double Bridges Road by a house which has its eaves strung with multicolored lights. Then just drive slowly into the little subdivision, looking to your right. Back in the woods you'll see the magical looking lights, so turn off at that mailbox, get into position to see the whole show, and tune your radio to 92.1.

Hill started his light show in 2011 with 50,000 lights, and at that time told a Tribune reporter it took about eight hours to program a three-minute song. Even then, Hill wouldn't say how much money he'd spent, but said it was more than he wanted to admit. Hill said his two hobbies were bee-keeping and Christmas lights.