It’s the time of year where folks dust off their Christmas-themed decorations to adorn their houses in the festive spirit. For some that means tinsel, baubles, and the very particular smell of a plastic tree that’s sat in the cupboard for a full 12 months. But others take this opportunity to turn their houses into true masterpieces in the tradition of one-upping their neighbour during the holiday.
With technology, these ritual displays of house supremacy have only gotten more advanced, featuring dancing LEDs with Arduino-programmed robots and sound-responsive tech. It’s a bit like if houses were specifically marketed to PC gamers who love Christmas, but these holiday homes put any RGB PC’s antics to shame.
These displays could make great sources of inspiration for your next build, room, or perhaps even house RGB setup, though. We can help you out with the best RGB lighting kit (opens in new tab), but coming up with ideas to do with them are another thing. Half the time when I see what people have been able to create I would never have even realized it was possible, let alone thought to do it myself. In the interest of sharing the festive inspiration, here are some of the coolest, nerdiest, and just weirdest Xmas displays we’ve seen so far this year.
To start off we have got to talk about RGB royalty Tom BetGeorge on YouTube. (opens in new tab) Tom is known for putting on some of the most elaborate house displays for all sorts of occasions. They’re vibrant and wondrous, and move in time to the music. Whether you’re after a full Xmas celebration, some Halloween vibes, or just a great take on some excellent music, his YouTube channel is a great place to go for epic light shows.
One of my favorites is actually a Halloween light show, an excellent green homage to The Matrix (opens in new tab).
For many, Christmas is about far more than what’s on the surface: it’s also about delicious gingerbread. Building and making a tasty gingerbread home is one thing, but decorating your house to look like a glowing gingerbread idol is a whole other and I am very here for it. Check out HazardsGingerBreadHouse (opens in new tab) on Instagram if you want to see some more shots of this beauty.
If you’re a bit lacking in the huge North American dreamhouse front, there’s still plenty you can do to get your LED dead redemption. In this pic, they’ve decorated the hedge and put lights under the ground to shine through the snow.
These folks have just been throwing LEDs on a tree (opens in new tab) for years and it actually looks absolutely great. It’s proof that if you throw enough of those tiny lights at something just about anything can look great, which is an encouraging thought.
To finish off, I’d like to give one more honourable mention to a very special Christmas tree whose decorations are better witnessed than explained. A video of Port Macquarie’s tree being turned on was posted on Twitter (opens in new tab) and conveys the spirit of the season perfectly, or at least it sure nails how I’m feeling.
port macquarie’s (very ordinary) christmas tree has been lit pic.twitter.com/eP3jrIzwTEDecember 2, 2022
If you’re yet to deck your halls for the festive season, perhaps this has given you inspiration in one direction or another. Or maybe you’ve finally had that lightbulb moment for the RGB configuration of your PC gaming dreams. Now you just have to convince your significant other, and we recommend starting with the bedroom (opens in new tab).