Batavia teen lights up the night with top display
The Christmas lights at Nicholas Miele's home pulse with energy - the kind that comes out of an electrical outlet, and that which drives Miele.
"I've just always been a worker," said the 18-year-old Batavia resident, who is busy finishing his last semester of high school so he can graduate early, working a part-time job, and running a side business as a DJ.
"And I just think Christmas lights look beautiful."
The result is a 30,000-light display on his parents' house at 1199 Meadow Drive, and Miele is the winner of this year's Daily Herald holiday lights contest.
Readers from throughout the suburbs were invited to nominate their favorite displays.
Miele's display features cascading red and white lights on the front of the house, strings of multicolored lights in bushes and trees, and a series of arches. The lights flash in time with seven Christmas songs, which can be heard on your car radio at 960AM, along with jokes between Miele and his younger brother.
"I've always been a very creative person," he said.
It is the third year Miele has put up a display. Starting Nov. 1, it took him about three weeks to hang and run the lights, then about 30 hours to program them.
Three years ago, he had a small light controller with six channels. The next year, he bought a controller with 16 channels. This year, he's up to 48 channels.
Besides the controllers and lights, there are 60 extension cords, piping, paint, electrical cable, computer cable, and six additional circuits and outlets that had to be installed (done by professional electricians, who have inspected his whole set-up). It has cost Miele about $3,000, plus the extra $75 to $100 in utility costs for the month of December.
He's at the limit, electrically, of what he can do. "We were watching TV and the lights (inside) started to flicker when the display came on," Miele said.
So next year, his father said they plan to add a generator, so Miele can expand the display to the yards of two willing neighbors on either side.
You can see the display from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. There are videos of his display on YouTube, and pictures on his Web site, mielepromo.com/holiday-lighting.html.
"We didn't want to annoy the neighbors," Miele said, by having the lights on all night.
The display may even lead to a third job for Miele.
"A lot of people love it," he said. "They ring our doorbell asking me to do their house next year."
<object width="295" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9272ypaeTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9272ypaeTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="295" height="250"></embed></object> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/dhphotovid#p/u/39/mCpRrhZ7zZg">How to photograph holiday lights</a></li> </ul> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=345158">Holiday lights gallery</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <center><img src="/graphics/holidaylights09.jpg"></center>