Over on the other side of the world, in New Zealand, December 25th is a summer day, but that doesn’t stop people from getting into the Christmas spirit. As you’ll see, a family in Auckland created an amazing Christmas light display.
An exciting new lighting technology is the LED (Light Emitting Diode). It’s actually not that new. LEDs were already being used in the 1970s, for example, to light up numbers in those newfangled pocket calculators. In the years since, LEDs have become less expensive, available in many colors and various sizes. LEDs have a number of virtues that make them ideal for Christmas decorating. First and foremost, they’re extremely efficient, converting almost all the energy into light and very little into waste heat. This also makes them safer than old-fashioned bulbs that get hot. LEDs also tolerate being turned on and off frequently — combine this with computer technology and you can create a Christmas display where lights “move” or even dance to the beat of music.
The Carpenter family’s light show was called “Star Wars Funk.” They obviously put many hours of work into it and the end result was amazing, and funny at times, too. At the beginning, we hear Darth Vader’s breathing, the lights going on and off in sync. Then there’s a light saber battle. But what comes next is a bit unexpected: a funky version of the Star Wars theme music with a wild array of lighting effects, including the stubby robot R2D2 and the Millennium Falcon spaceship. If that didn’t hypnotize you, the next part of the light show is centered on Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ hit song “Uptown Funk.”
Check out the video of this incredible Christmas light display that’s posted below. We’d love to hear what you thought of it, so let’s hear from you in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share!
