Some of the most prominent symbols of holiday celebrations are Christmas lights strung through bushes, trees and around doorways. Most people stick to conventional decorating to enhance the beauty of their home.
But Jimmy Curiazza, plumbing supervisor at Elon's Physical Plant, has created a Christmas lights show at his Gibsonville home, complete with music synchronization. The display is meant to be a fundraiser in memory of his brother, Dean, who passed away as a child from leukemia.
Curiazza will be raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), which is a nonprofit health organization that conducts researches and provides resources to those afflicted with blood cancers.
"My wife and I always talked about what we can do in my brother's honor," he said. "That's where the idea to contact the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society came in. The society was excited about the idea and from there, it kept snowballing downhill."
Curiazza started coordinating holiday lights with music last year, but he said this is the first time his show has acted as a fundraiser.
"What started out as me goofing around with Halloween decorations this past Halloween led to this," he said. "While the Halloween decorations were up, my wife Tracy kept joking with people, saying 'If only he'd use his powers for good.' After the displays were recorded and hit YouTube, they got a little popular. What started out as joking with Linda Lashendock (manager of video services and event production) led to the idea of a Christmas display."
Setting up the Christmas lights requires a lot of time and energy.
"It's insanity," Curiazza said. "Setting up includes computer programming, steel fabrication of the displays, attaching lights to the displays, music synchronization, assembly of digital output controllers, mounting displays to the house, testing circuitry — did I say insanity?"
He said in the display, there are three Christmas-themed heads — Rudolph, Santa and a snowman — in addition to about 20 other yard displays that will flash with the music. The heads will sing the songs.
"It takes about eight hours to synchronize a song," he said. "It takes about 20 hours to fabricate, paint, mount lights and hang each head. Getting the bugs out can be anywhere from minutes to days, just depending."
Curiazza's Halloween display had been more popular than he had anticipated.
"I heard people from blocks away yelling to their friends, 'Come see this,'" he said. "It was fun. Nobody knew what I was up to until it was too late. It turned out better than I had planned. Hopefully, Christmas will surpass that."
Curiazza has a fundraiser goal of $5,000 and a page on the LLS website that tells his brother's story and encourages people to donate.
"To date, and it really hasn't been pushed yet, the fund has raised over $1,000," he said.
Christmas has been traditionally viewed as a season of giving, and Curiazza's fundraiser is something he hopes will make a difference. He said he has always wanted to do something in honor of his brother, and this seemed perfect.
"My brother, Dean, passed away Dec. 5, 1967," Curiazza said. "Christmases haven't been the same since. Perhaps that's why I enjoy doing this for the little ones"