Sean cranks and Steve wraps
some lights for the new arches.
Sorting and checking one of many
new light shipments.  UPS loves us!
In April Steve felt the urge to
retrieve mini trees from the attic.
Sometimes you just have to play
with things a while.
Christmas at the McKinneys'
2008 Photos
Additions to the 2008 show required
Steve to learn to spot weld.  
Fortunately, brother Mark was
September 20: Notice the right leg.  It's
in a brace until knee surgery on Oct. 7.
 Ouch!
megatree so he'd have
something to he'd have
something to put lights on
while he's recuperating.  
recuperating.  
Best Friend in the
World Kurt delivers
finishing touches to the
tree sections after
Steve's injury.  He
eventually rubber-
coated them to
alleviate the possibility
of having them short
out.  He also ran
additional wiring for the
electrical outlets for
the AL controllers,
PLUS will return in
November to help the
Christmas Crew set up
the display.
a three or four month
hobby.  Granted, it
was to be three or
four months EVERY
year, but only that.  
Or so he thought.  
The thousands of
lights and electrical
cords were barely
packed away in
January before he
began planning the
2008 show.  Since
then he has
programmed or
tweaked a total of
nine songs, built two
new six foot and two
new eight foot tree
frames, built thirty
new mini trees,
planned for an
eighteen foot
megatree, and built
some ten foot arches.

Since he is not an
expert in any field
related to this
complicated
"hobby", Steve has
dedicated hours of
time to reading the
related web sites
and blogs, the most
helpful being Planet
Christmas.  He has
communicated with
several other
lighting fanatics and
hopes to visit some
of their Christmas
lighting displays too.