Merrimack Valley brothers have dueling Christmas light shows at home
ANDOVER - One show is 13 songs, 23 minutes long, magnified onto a North Andover home via a projector. The other is 9 songs, Trans-Siberian Orchestra-themed, and includes 4,000 string lights across an Andover home.
What do these two holiday home light shows have in common? They bring dozens of spectators every week - oh, and they're run by two brothers.
"This is my fourth year doing the Christmas show," older brother Bill Cleary of Andover explained. He starts putting up string lights in August, even renting a lift to reach the tallest parts of his house.
By Christmas time, it's a several-minute long light display to the beat of Trans-Siberian Orchestra music. To hear the music, all neighbors have to do is pull up to the house and turn their radio dial to 90.1, then watch the lights perfectly coordinate with the music.
As you might expect with an older brother, there is a younger brother who follows his lead. Tim Cleary of North Andover, Bill's little brother, got his house in on the "light fight" two years ago.
"People love it," he said. "People really enjoy it. We have lots of kids out front. They will be dancing out front."
The major difference in Tim's display? There are no string lights. Instead, a projector hidden inside a front lawn "Snoopy House", projects a dancing display onto the screen.
The brothers and their families actually help with each other's light displays, but of course, enjoy a little friendly competition, too.
"It's like the Griswold house over there," Tim said of Bill's.
Bill says his lights "take some skill to put up. [Tim] decided to go to projector route, which...you know..."
Tim's reply? "Work smarter, not harder."
If you want to see the light displays, check out:
7 Mary Lou Lane in Andover
92 Lisa Lane in North Andover