Dutchess County Christmas Display Features Guinness World Record 641,695 Lights
LAGRANGEVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Christmas lights display at a home in Dutchess County is not just breaking records, it's also for a good cause.
And this year's arrangement of more than 600,000 lights does not disappoint, CBS2's Jamie Wax reported Monday.
Every weekend starting in the fall, the Gay family -- Tim, Grace, and their adult children, Emily, Daniel, and John -- get to work on their family lights.
One of the kids drives a long distances to come back and work every weekend starting in September to put the display together.
"I know, my daughter's crazy. She drives from Rochester to here every weekend, That's a 10-hour round trip," Tim Gay said.
To be fair, this isn't any old holiday lights display. This is the Guinness world record-holding lights display for the most lights on a residential property.
The Gay family captured the title with 601,736 lights in 2014.
When asked if she ever could have imagined it growing into a world record-holding number of lights, Grace Gay said, "No, we did not imagine this. It was not a goal. It just kind of happened."
Daniel Gay has become something of a lead designer and the explained the most challenging display that he's come up with.
"The answer is that ornament hanging over the pond," he said with a laugh.
John Gay's climbing ability has helped bring the display to new heights. Emily Gay has become the voice of the show.
The display goes live the day after Thanksgiving. This year it features 641,695 lights choreographed to 252 songs. But the number the family is the proudest of is 365,781, as in the number of dollars their efforts have raised for local charities.
And if you're wondering how high their electric bill must be, thanks largely to LED lights, it's only $350 each season.