By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
North Attleborough is awash in Christmas spirit as homes across town light up the night with a variety of holiday creations.
One of these festive showcases is getting attention from passersby, blending holiday tunes, an incredibly detailed light show, and some hilarious banter to create a truly memorable experience.
Built by Jacob Heuss, who moved to the town two years ago, his display at the cul-de-sac on Scout Lane includes snowmen, a group of reindeer, a Christmas tree, and lights arranged in giant snowflakes. The lights are cued to holiday music, which plays during the evening hours.
Heuss has been in the U.S. Navy for the past 16 years, serving on aircraft carriers, cruisers, and submarines. As such, he’s moved around a lot, and while living in Indiana, he and his wife drove by a house that had a Christmas display that he enjoyed. This inspired him to make his own setup, which he takes with him when he moves.
“I’ve always loved Christmas,” said Heuss. “I used to drive around and find the best displays. I was really impressed when people had a lot.”
Looking at the display, it’s easy to see how much the holiday season means to Heuss. One set of lights creates a pair of talking Christmas trees and their ‘mouths’ move to a recording of some humorous banter. Heuss also uses LED Pixel Lights, which can switch from red to blue to green through a chip that he controls. With these, he can create any color he wants, and doesn’t hold back on the options. Those who want to see the display can tune their car stereos to 89.9 if they want to remain inside but still enjoy the music. The music is played on a Bluetooth speaker and comes through loud and clear.
“The whole community online is really helpful with questions [that I have],” said Heuss.
Heuss is always working on the display, whether it’s setting stakes to keep the lights from blowing over—this came in very handy with the recent storms—or fine-tuning the illumination’s timing.
Being in the Navy, Heuss said he was sometimes deployed during the holidays. He’s on shore rotation right now while attending classes at MIT, with a goal of earning a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. Creating his Christmas show, he’s utilized some of what he’s learned in the Navy, but a lot of information also came from online groups. He even looked at purchasing a bucket truck to make the display bigger, though this idea didn’t quite work out. Since announcing the holiday setup on a North Attleborough Facebook group, he’s seen a lot of people stop by.
“The kids love it, my 4-year-old son loves it,” said Heuss. “We come home everyday and he always wants to watch it.”
