Time dimming for 100-Watt incandescent light bulbs

Time is dimming for those of us who favor 100-Watt incandescent light bulbs.

The government several years ago decided to flip the switch on incandescent bulbs in favor of better energy efficiency bulbs, and now, the time is here.

Some lighting companies plan to keep the bulbs on the shelves until they run out, and for customers, some are showing resistance to the new law.

"I am familiar with those, and those are not the ones I want," says Onalee Wilson.

Onalee Wilson says spiral compact fluorescent lights, CFL's for short, have a place, but not in her kitchen.

"I don't like the color, and I don't like the look of the new lights," she admits.

And she's not taking any chances, even if that means she has to find a little room on her storage shelves.

"I'm trying to buy enough so they'll live longer than I do," Wilson laughs.

"They're stocking their warehouses as well as possible to feed us as well as possible," says Petoskey Meyer's Ace Hardware manager Carole Genson.

Meyer's Ace Hardware is stock-piling 100-Watt incandescent bulbs before they stop making them on January 1st.  Manager Carole Genson says several people are like Onalee Wilson and want to get their favorite bulbs before they're gone.

"We're just selling through them," says Genson.

"A lot of people don't like the spiral, and I don't blame them, the incandescent, the old warm light people have grown up with, is really what people like," says Andy Driver, owner of Advanced Lighting Center in Gaylord.

Advanced Lighting Center has its shelves stocked and will sell the 100-Watt incandescents as long as they last.  Driver says some companies have worked around the system, creating 95-Watt bulbs, and he believes it's not CFL's, but actually LED's that are the future.

"It's a great law, because we all need to save energy, it's just the growing pains," says Driver.

But growing pains and change are hard for some to overcome and wish they had the choice.

"In some places I use them, but not in my kitchen," says Wilson.

Price is another factor.  Take for example a five pack of CFL's and compare it to a four pack of incandescent bulbs.  You're going to pay about six times as much for the CFL box compared to the other.  But here's the deal: Each CFL bulb is supposed to last about 10 times longer, and you're going to save money in the long run because of the energy consumption.  Some say that's not enough, and they'd rather have looks over the energy savings.

James River's light proposal delayed for public meeting

Commissioners called a timeout earlier this month on a request by James River High's booster club to install lighting on a school baseball field.

The case has been deferred for 30 days to hold a community meeting on the proposal in early January. The club wants to install six 70-foot light poles on one of James River's baseball fields.

Several adjoining property owners from the Riverdowns subdivision attended the commission meeting because they're concerned about light and noise spilling over onto their properties.

According to the county's ordinance, the illumination from exterior lighting at a property line adjacent to single-family residential districts is limited to five-tenths foot-candle.

Under the booster club's proposal, the illumination at the school's property line will be approximately 1.95 foot-candle. There's a 40-foot drainage easement located between the school and adjoining residential properties. When that easement is factored in, the lighting would meet the county's ordinance. There also are tall pines between the school and neighboring homes to help reduce the light spillage.

"The current design is very close to meeting the ordinance on its own," reads a letter from Icon Sign & Lighting, the Farmville company that would be installing the lighting, "but Musco [the lighting manufacturer] cannot prove on paper that the ordinance is most likely being met due to the knock down from the evergreens currently surrounding the property."

Property owner Christopher Shepherd supported last week's deferral.

"The fear is in the unknown," Shepherd told commissioners. "There's word of an impending lease … of leasing the ball field out to other parties."

Gerald O'Connor, another nearby property owner, said there is already a problem with noise when the field is used on weeknights.

Midlothian Commissioner Reuben Waller acknowledged he has heard of plans to lease the field.

"The lease issue between the applicant and the county is not directly tied to the land-use issue before us … but it connects to the issue of intensity and who will be playing there," Waller said.

Waller asked for the deferral to hold a community meeting with nearby residents and address questions about the lighting.

Late last week there were reports that the booster club may be modifying its proposal to meet the county's lighting restrictions. If that happens, it would not require approval by the commission.

Matoaca Commissioner Wayne Bass was presented with a resolution recognizing his service to the county during his last meeting.

Commissioners are appointed by their supervisors, and Matoaca Supervisor Marleen Durfee was defeated during November's election.

A Savvy Shopper resolution: Shop local

In December 2009 — yes, I had to look through the archives for that date — I publicly promised readers that I would spend more dollars in locally owned stores in the upcoming year.

I'm happy to report that I have kept that promise. I'd let you check my bank statement, but, well, I'm not willing to let my promise become quite that public.

A growing number of shoppers are joining me.In 2010, a new retail holiday celebrating local businesses — Small Business Saturday — was hatched to create buzz around Main Street during the Black Friday frenzy.

That movement grew exponentially this year, and the "Shop Local" idea spread through social media outlets, TV commercials and radio spots.

Shopping with your conscience will be in vogue in 2012 as political debates head toward a boiling point, and consumers begin to voice their opinions with their pocketbooks.

The "Made in America" movement continues to maintain strength, as well, and the crafting community's cry for support seems to be resonating more than ever.

Convenience will continue to rule, but more and more of us are willing to step away from the automated glass doors and fluorescent lights and into a much smaller, homier, boutique, where the owner will greet you with an enthusiastic smile.

As for me, I found some of my best deals in locally owned shops on the Peninsula this year. I get so much joy out of pushing my new double stroller around town, for example. Instead of dropping $200 (or more) at Target, I spent $40 at Chelsea's Closet, a Hilton Village consignment store.

I purchased one of my mother-in-law's favorite Christmas gifts — a gift set containing various pepper jelly flavors — from the first annual Bodacious Bazaar in Hampton.

And I bought my 3-year-old son's soccer-themed Christmas ornament at Beach Treats Gifts in Peninsula Town Center for at least $3 less than the mall's price.

Even my son loves to shop local. During a recent "Mommy and Son" outing, we headed to Phoebus after enjoying the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton. It was to be a quick in-the-door-and-back-out-again shopping experience, I predicted.

Every store owner gushed over my little boy, handed him goodies and treated him like a king. When mom was done shopping, Brody begged to keep going.

The marketing technique worked, as I spent an unplanned $100 that evening.

So as you go about your retail purchases in the upcoming year, I challenge you to think local. Stop by and visit Tish at Countryside Gardens in Hampton. Or say hello to Jenn at Quirks of Art in Williamsburg. I promise, they will be thrilled to see you.

And, local business owners, here is your official notice: Let us know you're here with a note on the Savvy Shopper Facebook page or in an advertisement in the Daily Press.

Reach out with a suggestion for this column or plan a special event that showcases your specialty.

I intend to spend more of my money in local stores this year, and I want to know where I can shop.

No room at the inn as Bethlehem celebrates Christmas

In Rome, thousands of the faithful gathered in the Vatican's St Peter's Square as night fell for the blessing of a giant Nativity scene to the sound of accordions, hurdy gurdies and Christmas carols.

Pope Benedict XVI appeared at his window shortly after 1700 GMT to light an oil lamp for peace and make the sign of the cross as a blessing to the crowd in the square below.

Peace was also a central theme in Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal's Christmas homily to be delivered in Bethlehem.

"We ask for peace, stability and security for the entire Middle East," the homily reads. Twal, the most senior Roman Catholic in the Middle East, urges "the return of calm and reconciliation in Syria, in Egypt, in Iraq and in North Africa" in the text of a speech published ahead of delivery at midnight mass in the place of Christ's birth.

In popular uprisings in Tunis and Egypt which ended decades of "secular" dictatorships, Islamist parties have taken the front stage. Egypt's main

Islamist parties emerged on Saturday as winning 65 per cent of votes for party lists in the second round of the new parliament.

The UN Security Council says that Syria has killed more than 5,000 of its people in recent months, and Thursday attacks in Iraq killed 60 people, heightening sectarian tensions less than a week after US troops withdrew.

"O Child of Bethlehem, in this New Year, we place in your hands this troubled Middle East and, above all, our youth full of legitimate aspirations, who are frustrated by the economic and political situation, and in search of a better future," Twal's homily reads.

It also addresses the Palestinians, welcoming Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas who was to attend the mass, and congratulating him "in his unfaltering efforts to achieve a just peace in the Middle East, a main thrust of which is the creation of a Palestinian State."

The address says the Palestinians "recently turned to the United Nations in the hope of finding a just solution to the conflict," and notes that "they have been asked to re-engage in a failed peace process," which "has left a bitter taste of broken promises and of mistrust."

As day broke on the not-so-little-town of Bethlehem, a few miles south of Jerusalem, residents readied to welcome thousands of pilgrims who wanted to see where the Bible says Jesus was born to a couple from Nazareth.

In the afternoon, Twal made his solemn entry into the birthplace of Christ accompanied by Palestinian Scouts playing bagpipes, an inheritance from the British mandate in the first half of the 20th century.

The procession led to Manger Square in central Bethlehem, where a huge poster at Omar's Mosque showed Abbas and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Hotels and guest houses across this ancient town perched on the hilltops were packed to capacity, Palestinian officials said, with more than 50,000 visitors from around the world expected.

"Hotels are full. We have no rooms left even though the number of hotel rooms has multiplied in the last three years," Palestinian tourism minister Khulud Daibes told AFP.

ABC News: Obama To Run On Economic Inequity

Well, there's nothing truly shocking in that knowledge, I'm sure most of us have been prescient enough to understand that he damned sure can't run on his economic record, the economy being the issue for Americans. He can't run on ObamaCare, as it is still vastly unpopular by the majority of Americans.

His environmental record? Forget it. Getting tough on illegal immigrant deportations? He was doing well, then put in some squishy "reforms", which might play to the Statist base, but, won't play well to middle America, which is generally unhappy with allowing lawbreakers to remain in the country.

He can't run on how well he vacations and plays golf. I mean, he does those two quite well, but, wouldn't go over well as a campaign platform would it? So, what else is there to run on, except trotting out the tired class warfare meme?

The difference here is in how the two differentiate solutions to economic inequity. Republicans want to empower the middle class by creating an open atmosphere of less regulation, fewer rules, and less government, which gives the middle class a chance to grow into those evil "rich" people. Obama's ideas are to regulate and tax job creators to death while promising free everything to middle class people paid for by those evil rich people.

I really despise those Verizon "Susie's Lemonade" commercials, because using the song "I Want Candy" as the background music to a commercial featuring a pre-teen girl is a Bad Idea. But, let's consider: in today's economy, as pushed by Liberal statists, could Suzie actually turn her lemonade stand into a mega-business?

First, she'd have to make it past the cops/elected officials/FDA weenies, who would either shut her down or force her to get all sort of business licenses. Then the health inspectors. Then the IRS.

The Lemonade Workers Of America union, followed by the National Labor Relations Board. Finally, after jumping through even more hoops not mentioned, Democrats like Obama will complain about Suzy being rich and that she should pay her fair share.

Republicans want to remove most of the road blocks to success inherent in the system. "But, Teach, we should worry about things like health and safety and all the rest." Sigh. There is a point when common sense, like a quick inspection to make sure the lemonade doesn't contain Ebola, becomes bureaucratic and political interference, killing the entrepreneurial spirit. When Big Government is entirely too heavily involved for companies to truly succeed.

Consider this: the dreaded compact fluorescent lighbulb has been around in some form or fashion since the 1890's, but didn't become any sort of real consumer object till the 1980's. Since it contains mercury, does anyone truly think the design could get into production today were it developed today? They'd be banned from being imported from China.

The GOP does need to be careful in responding to Obama's line of campaigning, in that they cannot get caught up debating the issue on the surface, and instead move the issue to how damaging Obama's policies have been forthe economy , and how his policies are about taking money from the evil rich and moving it through the government to supposedly end up in the hands of the middle class, which never seems to happen.

Audi A1 quattro: 256 hp and 350 Nm, only 333 units

Audi has announced the arrival of the range-topping A1 model called the A1 quattro. Just 333 examples of the form will be built in 2012, and all will be left-hand drive units.

The vehicle is powered by a 2.0 TFSI mill offering 256 hp at 6,000 rpm and 350 Nm of torque available between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm, which is of course delivered to all four wheels. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 5.7 seconds and a 245 km/h top speed.

The 2.0 TFSI delivers its power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system via a six-speed manual transmission, which features an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch whose package of plates rotates in an oil bath. There's an electronic differential lock in the mix, of course.

The car's chassis has been adapted to the dynamics of the drivetrain, and is much more tautly tuned than that of the production model. The front suspension is a McPherson construction, while a four-link axle is used at the rear, and the electrohydraulic power steering on the car features a direct 14.8:1 steering ratio.

The Audi A1 quattro rides on 18-inch cast alloy wheels, finished in Glacier White, wrapped with 225/35 series tyres. Elsewhere, the internally vented 312 mm diameter front brake discs are clamped by black calipers.

The car is available only in Glacier White metallic, with a high-gloss black roof, some dashes of red and a two-colour rear wing providing contrast. Decent amount of tint to be found too – the rear windows are blackened, as are the LED rear lights. The exhaust system terminates in two polished dual tailpipes on the left and the right, adding yet more flair to the equation.

Inside, black is the thematic shade, with the seats and door armrests covered in Silk Nappa leather, with contrasting red seams. The S sport seats up front have pronounced bolsters, integrated head restraints and a quattro badge on the backrest covers.

Elsewhere, the lower section of the centre console is in high-gloss black, while the footrest and the pedal caps are in brushed stainless steel. Red seams frame the floor mats, and the door sill trims bear A1 quattro badges.

As for the instrument cluster, unique cues include white needles, a red tachometer and a quattro logo. Meanwhile, the multifunction flat-bottom sport steering wheel is wrapped in leather, again with contrasting red stitching and it also sports the car's serial number.

There's also plenty of other mod cons, including xenon plus headlights, high-beam assistant, adaptive brake lights, LED interior lighting package, light and rain sensor, automatically dimming interior mirror, rear parking system, automatic air conditioning, alarm system, storage package, convenience key and cruise control.

Rounding things off are a Bose sound system with 14 speakers and 465 watts of power, and the woofers in the doors are indirectly lit with light guide LEDs.

That's happened with every other lighting technology

It wasn't until 1910 - almost 30 years later - that using light bulbs became cheaper than gas.

"That's happened with every other lighting technology," said DiLaura. "It's been introduced, it's very expensive, and you simply wait enough and long enough, and the price comes down."

Which is where light bulb manufacturers are right now - having to change the public mind-set from the $1.99 disposable idea of lighting to the $25-a-bulb light that's more like an appliance.

"You know, you might install a light bulb in your foyer when your kids are born, and that light bulb will still be in there working, no problems, when the kids go off to college. That's a totally different way to think about lighting," said Ed Crawford, who heads the North American Lighting Division at Philips, the world's largest lighting company.

Like the rest of us, he watched the first jump from incandescents to energy-efficient bulbs with a bit of a cringe.

"Some of the early compact florescent products, they were not ready for prime time," Crawford said. "They buzzed, they had lousy color, they made everything kind of grey-ish, green."

Edison's glowing filament gave off nearly every color of the rainbow, especially reds and yellows. Duplicating it isn't easy.

Too much of any one color is obviously uncomfortable, says Philips' Daniel Blitzer, whether its blue or vivid green.

"We lose our sense of humanity," said Blitzer. "In fact, we go vaguely reptilian."

But perhaps the most important is red. Too much is Martian, but for humans not enough red can be disastrous.

Blitzer demonstrated in on Lee's hands: "If you have no red light, nothing bounces off the red pigments - it only bounces off the blue of your veins, and that looks eerie."

"Awful!" said Cowan.

The answer for Philips was a bulb that just won a $10 million prize from the Department of Energy. While it may look like those orange bug lights of old, this is an LED Philips says all but replicates the warm glow of the incandescent.

It does everything consumers are used to in a bulb, except it uses 9 watts instead of 60 watts.

"The guts of it have to be wildly different," said Cowan.

"The guts are completely different," said Crawford, showing off the LEDs inside.

And when he flipped the switch ... the blue LED and lens assembly emitted a warm white light. "It really is remarkable, it's almost like a magic trick," said Crawford.

But it still has its critics - Howard Brandston for one. He knows a little something about light. He was the engineer who made Lady Liberty shine in just the right way.

He took us out to his garage where he set up an experiment.

A candle, he says, gives off a nicely rounded curve of light, with a lot of yellows and a lot of reds.

The old fashioned 60 watt incandescent is almost identical.

Represent their "M-Series" Marine LED Lighting Products for the Boating Industry

Rigid Industries Appoints Northwest Marine Group and Great Lakes Marine Marketing to Represent their "M-Series" Marine LED Lighting Products for the Boating Industry. With this addition to the Rigid Industries Global Sales Network, the company continues to affirm its strategic initiative to provide customers with local design and sales support, as well as easy access to their broad offering of quality LED Lighting Products.

Rigid Industries, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of High Performance LED Lighting Products, today announced that Great Lakes Marine Marketing and Northwest Marine Group have been appointed to represent the Rigid Industries Marine Series LED Lighting Lineup. Northwest Marine Group will cover Oregon, Seattle, Idaho and Montana. Great Lakes Marine Marketing will be responsible for Marine support in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota.

With this addition to the Rigid Industries Global Sales Network, the company continues to affirm its strategic initiative to provide Marine customers with local design and sales support, as well as easy access to their broad offering of quality LED Lighting Products.

Built with the same quality and precision that Rigid Industries is known for, the Marine Series (M-Series) lineup is specially designed for the Boating Industry. Constructed with a 6063 Aluminum extrusion, multiple 1200 MHz signal processors, over/under and reverse voltage protection, patented optics, corrosion protected bright white powder coat and 316 Stainless Steel marine hardware, the new "M-Series" LED Product Line brings the award winning technology Rigid Industries has won with in the Off-road market to the forefront of the Marine Market.

Great Lakes Marine Marketing and Northwest Marine Group are established firms with years of experience, serving OEM and distribution partners in the marine marketplace. "With ComMar Sales supporting the East Coast, Great Lakes Marine Marketing in the Midwest and Northwest Marine Group serving the Northwest Coast, we're building tremendous momentum in a market segment that our product portfolio fits extremely well," said Taylor Anderson, VP of Sales and Marketing for Rigid Industries.

Dave Davis, Director of Sales at Rigid Industries said, "The additions of Northwest Marine Group and Great Lakes Marine Marketing are huge steps in providing first class local customer service from consummate professionals who specialize in Marine Solutions. These partnerships provide the foundation for continued growth for Rigid Industries' core products, as well as many new and exciting LED Lighting families to come."

Great Lakes Marine Marketing and Northwest Marine Group will sell and support Rigid Industries standard and custom "M-Series" LED Lighting Products to OEMs and Distributors in a wide range of marine markets. The two companies will also provide hands-on field support to key accounts, and effectively promote Rigid Industries’ extensive LED capabilities including their "M-Series" Marine Boating LED Lighting Products providing the most efficient LED Light Bar technology for the Marine Boating Industry.

Bridgelux markets latest generation LED arrays

Bridgelux has announced the commercial availability of its latest generation of industry-leading LS, ES, and award-winning RS product families.

They deliver an increase in efficacy of up to 30% and a reduction of up to 30% in cost per lumen compared to previous product generations.

Featuring a large portfolio of LED arrays in the lighting industry, Bridgelux offers products for lighting applications ranging from the light output equivalent of a 20 W decorative lamp to that of a 300 W high intensity discharge (HID) city streetlight.

Bridgelux's latest generation of LED arrays offer optical and mechanical compatibility with previous product generations, allowing customers to easily incorporate all performance enhancements with a simple upgrade path, minimising design efforts.

What's more, these new arrays offer greater system design flexibility to achieve Energy Star, Title 24, Part L and other global energy efficiency standards. All Bridgelux arrays are configured to align with industry standard drive currents to simplify the electronic driver selection process for new lamp and luminaire product development, enabling accelerated time to market.

"Bridgelux's commitment to rapid technology innovation while maintaining the product design characteristics of their LED arrays dramatically reduces our development risk, and ensures an easy design-in process," said Jeff Spencer, director of product management - commercial for Juno Lighting Group by Schneider Electric.

"We are very excited to be using their latest generation of arrays in the new Indy Performance Series LED downlights that we are launching later this month. As LED technology continues to rapidly evolve, Bridgelux has been a terrific strategic partner because they understand that by providing platform stability with the LED array products we can easily adopt the latest technology improvements and rapidly pass these innovations on to our customers without significant product redesigns."

Bridgelux arrays are available in a broad range of colour temperatures ranging from 2700K to 5600K with 3 SDCM colour control options to enable clean and consistent lighting installations. Multiple colour rendering index (CRI) options are available, providing increased design flexibility for lamp and luminaire manufacturers.

Horizon Battery Releases Baby Night Lights In Time For Holiday Shopping

Horizon Battery introduces high-quality, safety-certified, baby night lights. These beautiful plush toys are now available in limited quantities for the holiday shopping season and make the perfect night-time gift for young children. Choose from "Moonlight Bear" "Paula the Penguin" and 12 other colorful "bedtime" friends.

Also available are the stunning "starlight" baby night lights which display a beautiful, multi-color, constellation light show on the walls and ceilings of the baby's room. Select from the popular "Ladybug" or "Turtle" night lights which are available with or without optional lullaby function.

All Ansmann night lights are equipped with an automatic switch-off feature. These battery- operated night lights utilize cool, LED technology and generate no heat are EN71 tested and certified for safety. And, of course, all night lights include Ansmann's standard 3-year warranty.

As a special celebration for this new product line and Horizon Battery's commitment to rechargeable technology, a free battery charger is included with each baby nightlight purchased. With Ansmann battery chargers -and special Max E technology - each rechargeable battery can be used up to 1000 times, eliminating future battery purchases.

Ansmann baby care products, including the baby night lights range, are part of the Ansmann consumer products division. Their worldwide headquarters is located in Assamstadt, Germany. As an innovator in the mobile energy field. Ansmann is considered one of the best manufacturers in rechargeable products mobile light, including LED night lights.

Horizon Battery is pleased to carry Ansmann mobile energy products, including baby nightlights, at a fair price, and outstanding customer service. These are key to Ansmann's -and Horizon's- continued success.

Ansmann commitment to skilled, flexible employees with initiative and innovation underpin the future prosperity of the company. They design and produce the highest quality products, including night lights for kids.

Christmas lights led to the death of Colorado dad, Joe Nauta. Joe was 45 and leaves behind a wife and two children. His wife and kids were able to get out of the mobile home to safety. Joe got out too, but he ran back into the home to pick up the key for their gate. Unfortunately, the roof caved in and Joe was trapped in the burning home.

The evening had been fun for the family. They decorated the Christmas tree and wrapped gifts. Sometime in the early morning Joe's wife, Janey, smelled smoke. That's when the nightmare began. If Joe had not gone back inside this family would still be together.

Authorities believe that the Christmas lights caused an overload which sparked and led to a fire, per the New York Daily News. This was a horrible accident and is should be a lesson to those reading about Joe Natua.

Everyone loves to put up lights inside and outside. Make sure your lights are in good working condition. Check the wires to be make sure they aren't damaged. If you have very old lights, the kind that use a lot of energy and get hot, it is best to get rid of them.

Even with 100,000 lights, power bill isn't too awful

More than 100,000 Christmas lights adorn Chris Hoover's home just outside Battle Ground.

The extension cords connecting those lights and other elements of his holiday display would measure almost a mile long if connected end-to-end. Hoover started stringing them together and connecting them to his annual display just after Halloween ended.

No, Hoover does not go into the Christmas season lightly.

The Purdue University graduate and manager at TRW Automotive has always enjoyed decorating for the holiday. But the hobby took on a life of its own about five years ago when a friend of Hoover's emailed him a video link showing Christmas light displays timed to a musical program.

"I decided I needed to figure out how to do that," he said. "And the animation piece has grown from there."

The music timed to go with Hoover's display this year runs almost 40 minutes. Visitors can tune their car radios to 88.1 FM while watching lights dance across his front yard.

Hoover recently answered some questions for the J&C about his over-the-top holiday lights display on Greenview Drive, in the River Bluffs subdivision in northern Tippecanoe County. Here's what he had to say.

Question:How much time to does it take for you to put this all together?

Answer:I get asked that a lot. It's kind of a year-round hobby for me because in the off-season I'm either programming or sequencing songs, or I'm building something to add to the display. I start setting up on Halloween weekend, and we have it ready to go Thanksgiving night. The lights came on at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Q: What are some of the highlights of this year's display?

A: This is the first time we've topped 100,000 lights, at least by my count. We have 35 mini-trees lining the front yard ... four leaping arches ... a Bellagio pole, but none of this stuff really makes any sense to you unless you see it. ... There are a lot of flavors of animated Christmas lighting if you go looking out there for it.

Q: How much does it cost you to do all this?

A: I don't talk about that. That's for me to know. (laughing). As far as the lights and that stuff go, most everything's homemade or else it's just light strings. I usually hit the day-after Christmas sales if I need more lights, but I've got quite an inventory built up right now.

(The power bill) isn't bad. Because it's animated the lights are off more than they're on. My power bill is no worse than it is in July or August when I have to use the air conditioning.

Q: What do you enjoy most about it?

A: It's a way for me to go out and accomplish something. The job I'm in right now, since it's management, the way you accomplish things is by having other people get things done that you need them to. This is something where I can go out and get my hands dirty.

The first year I did it, when word finally got out and traffic started backing up, a lot of people were trying to give me money for it. But I don't want to get paid to do my hobby. ... So what we decided to do was collect donations and give them back to charity. We've given money in the past to Family Services, The Salvation Army, schools up here in Battle Ground, a local Scout pack, and we sponsored a soccer team.

Trends: Scentsicles bring freshly cut pine smells to artificial trees

Hollywood celebrities often wear extensions in their hair but have you ever heard of twig extensions for your Christmas tree?

Scentsicles are twigs with hooks that you can hang along side the limbs of your artificial Christmas tree.

In addition to making your tree look fuller, Scentsicles are scented ornaments that are infused with the pure fragrance of freshly-cut fir, pine and spruce.

"A lot of people who have artificial Christmas trees miss the smell of a freshly-cut evergreen," Lowes Home Improvement store manager Tom Ramold explained. "Scentsicles provide that fresh scent for up to 30 days."

Scentsicles, available at Lowes among other retailers, are made of natural fibers from sustainable resource. This makes them safe for your pets as well as for your kids.

According to Ramold, Scentsicles -- available since 2010 -- are just one of the ways to bring the smells of Christmas into your home.

"There are so many more scented candles, wickless candles or room fresheners on the market that there's no excuse why your house shouldn't be filled with the aromas of Christmas," he said.

Ramold can fill your home with aroma but Christmas is also about spectacle.

"Christmas is one of the few times of the year where you're allowed to go big with the decorations," he explained, pointing to a large assortment of Santa and snowman inflatables, huge banks of LED lights and even a contraption called Mr. Christmas.

"Mr. Christmas allows you to synchronize your light patterns and  inflatables to the sounds of holiday music," Ramold said while adjusting the volume of songs from a shoebox-sized control panel. "These are great to have for holiday parties."

As he walk through Lowes' department of Christmas decorations, Ramold said he anticipates a solid sales season.

"I think the Missouri River floodings in the summer may actually help us out," he said. "There were quite a few people who lost cherished Christmas decorations after evacuating their homes. Now, there looking for replacements."

Additionally, Ramold said more people are staying home and looking for ways to add a dramatic impact at a low cost.

"You really don't have to spend an arm and a leg getting your home ready for Christmas," he allowed.

This is certainly true of the Scentsicles, which come in boxes of six and retail for less than $10.

"Scentsicles are a great way to infuse your home with a seasonal smell." Ramold said, hanging a few of the twigs in back of an artificial tree. "It's often the little things that make a big impression."

Switch to LED Christmas lights for free

The city of Visalia wants to help you save money on Christmas lights this year — and money on your energy bill every year — by giving away strands of energy-efficient lights.

A free exchange program on Saturday will let Visalia residents swap out old incandescent Christmas lights one-for-one with energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights, up to five strands per household.

"This is a partnership we have with Southern California Edison and the VIEW program that lets us have these lights to give to residents," said Nathan Garza, a natural resource conservation technician with the city.

VIEW is an acronym for Valley Innovative Energy Watch, a collaboration of Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, and local governments in Tulare and Kings counties to help improve energy efficiency in the Central Valley.

This year, Garza said, the city has 500 strands of lights to give away, five times more than last year.

"We'll still run out, but not as quickly," he said.

be given to customers of Southern California Edison.

"And the important thing to remember is that [residents] must bring an old strand with them in order to get the new LED lights," said Nancy Loliva, the city's community relations manager.

The LED light strands each have 100 colored lamps and can retail for around $20 each.

The lights should last for 20 seasons, Garza said, and are safe for indoor and outdoor use.

"They don't generate heat, so they're safe for real and artificial trees," he said. "They're also brighter and have a sharper color."

The 74-foot-tall Norway spruce was illuminated by 30,000 lights during a ceremony that featured performances by Neil Diamond, Cee Lo Green and Carol King. Justin Bieber and Tony Bennett provided pre-taped performances.

It was the first time at the tree lighting for 13 year-old best friends Emily Solomon and Carmela Civello, of Brooklyn.

"It was beautiful," they said in unison.

Though they partially attended the lighting ceremony to see Bieber and were a bit miffed his performance was prerecorded and shown on monitors, they said they were happy to be there.

Tens of thousands of people were penned in on the streets surrounding Rockefeller Center, in midtown Manhattan. Most caught glimpses of performances on screens set up on street corners.

Paloma Diaz, 11, called herself a Bieber "believer" and attended to see him perform.

"I love him, but I also want to see the tree lighting," said the Queens resident, who was with her mother. "I've heard other people say it's really pretty when it lights up."

The tree-lighting ceremony happened on a day President Barack Obama was in town to raise money for his re-election bid. The combination of blocked-off streets and holiday visitors led to traffic jams across Manhattan.