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In 2020, Atticus McCoy and Ashley Dixon offered their COVID-19 relief stimulus checks to their friends and family. When no one took the offer, the couple decided to buy more Christmas lights for their small light show.
Now, the show features around 40,000 lights dancing in time to holiday music and popular hits.
McCoy said that while they’re certain there must be other houses in San Antonio with as many lights, if not more, than theirs has, their light show is still unique in its own way. “We definitely have the most heart,” he said.
The light show at 10523 Coyote Hill in Converse starts at 6 p.m. every night, ending at 9:30 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On weekends, the house hosts s’mores get-togethers and other small competitions and events for the community.
The couple’s favorite part of putting the show together is interacting with the more than 1,300 families that come to watch. In past years, McCoy and Dixon handed out glow sticks to their audiences to let them know they could vote for the music and get to know them better.
The music for the display plays on 106.1 FM, the local radio station synchronized with the LED lights. Last year, among the Top 10 most voted songs were “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, “Defying Gravity” from the musical “Wicked,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” and “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande.
The first year of the light show, people could vote from a list of about 5 songs. This year, audiences can choose from around 110 songs, including new additions like “Your Idol” and “Golden” from Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” As they vote, songs jump up in the queue for what’s next.
After six years of shining through the holidays, McCoy said they are planning to take down the lights for the last time on January 3, 2026. This will likely be their final year putting up the light show due to health reasons, McCoy said in a press release.
“It’s not a decision we make lightly,” McCoy said. After years of back pain, he made the decision that this would be his last year putting up the lights. “I hope we can keep going, and we probably could if we got help. After having surgery, though, I don’t think I can do it myself after this year.”
The couple’s tradition started in 2019 with what they called a “megatree.” With McCoy’s background as an Air Force aircraft technician and experience in IT, he figured he could put on his own light show.
The next year, the couple spent their COVID-19 relief stimulus checks on 10,000 more lights. Now, the show features 39,674 synchronized LED lights, two interactive photo opportunities and some chalk and hula hoops for kids to play with.
The lights on the roof of the house stay up year round, McCoy said. The rest of the lights and the props on their lawn are taken down for the rest of the year. Between planning for new songs and setting everything back up, preparations for the light show takes weeks every year.
How big is the electric bill?
Each light costs about 25 cents to run, bringing the electricity bill between $30 to $50 for the season. The whole setup runs on one electrical circuit, and the entire show only runs at 25% brightness. According to McCoy, the display has never once tripped their breaker.
“The first thing people always say is that they would hate to see our light bill,” McCoy said. “The LEDs are so efficient, it really only takes probably about as much energy as a clothes dryer.”
In past years, the couple has put together Halloween light shows as a test run for their holiday show. For McCoy, his hobby of preparing the light shows has been a labor of love.
“Anybody can make their own light show,” he said. As he takes a step back from his own light show, he’s offered to help others start their own shows around the city, encouraging people to get into the hobby. “We just want to create holiday joy for people, and we’re so honored to watch countless families make memories in front of our house every year.”
Details about the light show, which runs through January 3, can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
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In 2020, Atticus McCoy and Ashley Dixon offered their COVID-19 relief stimulus checks to their friends and family. When no one took the offer, the couple decided to buy more Christmas lights for their small light show.
Now, the show features around 40,000 lights dancing in time to holiday music and popular hits.
McCoy said that while they’re certain there must be other houses in San Antonio with as many lights, if not more, than theirs has, their light show is still unique in its own way. “We definitely have the most heart,” he said.
The light show at 10523 Coyote Hill in Converse starts at 6 p.m. every night, ending at 9:30 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On weekends, the house hosts s’mores get-togethers and other small competitions and events for the community.
The couple’s favorite part of putting the show together is interacting with the more than 1,300 families that come to watch. In past years, McCoy and Dixon handed out glow sticks to their audiences to let them know they could vote for the music and get to know them better.
The music for the display plays on 106.1 FM, the local radio station synchronized with the LED lights. Last year, among the Top 10 most voted songs were “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, “Defying Gravity” from the musical “Wicked,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” and “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande.
The first year of the light show, people could vote from a list of about 5 songs. This year, audiences can choose from around 110 songs, including new additions like “Your Idol” and “Golden” from Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” As they vote, songs jump up in the queue for what’s next.
After six years of shining through the holidays, McCoy said they are planning to take down the lights for the last time on January 3, 2026. This will likely be their final year putting up the light show due to health reasons, McCoy said in a press release.
“It’s not a decision we make lightly,” McCoy said. After years of back pain, he made the decision that this would be his last year putting up the lights. “I hope we can keep going, and we probably could if we got help. After having surgery, though, I don’t think I can do it myself after this year.”
The couple’s tradition started in 2019 with what they called a “megatree.” With McCoy’s background as an Air Force aircraft technician and experience in IT, he figured he could put on his own light show.
The next year, the couple spent their COVID-19 relief stimulus checks on 10,000 more lights. Now, the show features 39,674 synchronized LED lights, two interactive photo opportunities and some chalk and hula hoops for kids to play with.
The lights on the roof of the house stay up year round, McCoy said. The rest of the lights and the props on their lawn are taken down for the rest of the year. Between planning for new songs and setting everything back up, preparations for the light show takes weeks every year.
How big is the electric bill?
Each light costs about 25 cents to run, bringing the electricity bill between $30 to $50 for the season. The whole setup runs on one electrical circuit, and the entire show only runs at 25% brightness. According to McCoy, the display has never once tripped their breaker.
“The first thing people always say is that they would hate to see our light bill,” McCoy said. “The LEDs are so efficient, it really only takes probably about as much energy as a clothes dryer.”
In past years, the couple has put together Halloween light shows as a test run for their holiday show. For McCoy, his hobby of preparing the light shows has been a labor of love.
“Anybody can make their own light show,” he said. As he takes a step back from his own light show, he’s offered to help others start their own shows around the city, encouraging people to get into the hobby. “We just want to create holiday joy for people, and we’re so honored to watch countless families make memories in front of our house every year.”
Details about the light show, which runs through January 3, can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
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