Santa Clause is coming to town and Ray Voss is spreading Christmas cheer in advance of his arrival.

For the 10 year, Christmas lights are twinkling and dancing in front of his house on Phyllis Avenue to the beat of Christmas music. What makes Voss’ display stand out from others is the heart beat behind the musical light show. Next to Voss’ mail box is a donation box, but the donations are not to cover electrical costs or new lights but to raise donations for St. Jude.

This is the ninth year, Voss has collected funds for St. Jude and has already raised over $18,000. His goal this year is to raise $3,000 for the children’s research hospital.  

Prior to turning on his display after Thanksgiving, Voss will have spent two weeks setting up the Christmas lights and display boxes outside. But his work begins long before the thought of Thanksgiving dinner.

Voss’ light display is set to last 30 minutes running through a loop of nine songs. He estimates that for every minute of music, he spent eight to 10 hours programing.

He system runs from his computer and looks similar to a spreadsheet. You have a row for each control and rows for each string of lights. His 2017 display features a little over 22,000 lights. Through the document he has to control when lights fade up and fade down and tell each light what to do.

Voss spent between 240 and 300 hours designing and programing the light display. The light display has expanded into Voss’ neighbors yard and includes 3,600 lights on a tree.

While the work is long and consuming, Voss said it is worth the hours for the joy is brings others.

“I go out and hand out candy canes and enjoy seeing the smiles on all the faces,” he explained. “It is a tradition for some to come every year.”

The thirty-minute loop of nine songs includes Christmas Vacation, Santa Clause is coming to Town and Trans Siberian Orchestra Wizards in Winter. Viewers can tune into 89.9 FM to listen along on their car stereo as they watch the lights twinkle and dance.

 “I encourage everyone to come down and donate for a good cause,” stated Voss. “You can’t go wrong with St. Jude, it helps out the kids and their families.”

The display is light up Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

St. Jude

At St. Jude no family receives a bill for the care they receive as they only want a family to worry about helping their child live.

Treatments invented at St. Jude in the last 50 years have pushed the survival rate of childhood cancer from 20 percent to more than 80 percent.