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GONNA ROCK DOWN TO electric avenue TV takes a shining to Richmond's 'Tacky Lights Tour'

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Former Fredericksburg couple goes in big for Christmas decorating and draws the attention of producers of TLC's "Crazy Christmas Lights."

By LAURA MOYER

Date published: 12/15/2006

GLEN ALLEN--Just a few lights on the bushes. That's all Esther Thompson wanted. Her husband, Al, complied without much enthusiasm.

In all the years they lived in the Fredericksburg area--from 1973 to 1993--the Thompsons never went for outdoor Christmas decorating.

Several years after the couple moved to Henrico County, though, they took a Christmas-season limo trip to enjoy the Richmond phenomenon known as the "Tacky Lights Tour." It's a competition of sorts, in which Richmond-area residents vie for the brightest, gaudiest and most over-the-top outdoor displays.

After that limo ride, Esther Thompson made her innocent comment about lights on the bushes.

She might have predicted that her husband wouldn't stop at a few lights. After all, Al Thompson had taken every earlier hobby to the outer limits of possibility.

In the Fredericksburg years it was paddling, a passion that prompted Al Thompson to ride over the Rappahannock River's former Embrey Dam in a canoe. On purpose.

Later there was the NASCAR thing. The Redskins thing. The Las Vegas thing.

And now it's the Christmas thing.

The lack of enthusiasm Thompson felt that first year evaporated as he imagined new decorations and new ways to make everything work. It became a hobby that borders on obsession.

This year, the Thompsons have one of the most lavishly decorated homes on Richmond's Tacky Lights Tour, with 170,000 lights and more than 150 handmade painted and lighted decorations.

The home's seasonal glow caught the attention of producers at The Learning Channel, which is featuring the Thompsons prominently in a special called "Crazy Christmas Lights." It's being shown twice more this season--tomorrow and on Christmas Eve.

Thompson, 60, has designed, engineered and built nearly all the decorations in just the past three years. He and his wife have no children, but they do have two full-time jobs and many neighborly and civic commitments in Glen Allen's Kingston subdivision.

Masterminding the display is another full-time job for Thompson.

"I do this Christmas thing year round," he said.

Each year, the decorating begins in September. The couple and the occasional volunteer neighbor do a bit each day through October and November.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the lighting begins. The Thompsons have sunk $4,000 into electrical upgrades that support 40 breakers, 80 plugs and 400 extension cords. Their electricity bill runs about $1,000 above average during the holidays.

ON TV: TLC's "Crazy Christmas Lights" will run twice more this season. It's on at 1 p.m. tomorrow and at 3 p.m. Dec. 24. Sharp-eyed Fredericksburg-area residents may recognize the Rappahannock River's former Embrey Dam. The show briefly features Esther Thompson's 1988 photo of Al Thompson going over the dam in a canoe. IN PERSON: The Thompsons live at 9716 Wendhurst Ave., Glen Allen. They turn on the lights each night (except when it rains) from 5:35 p.m. till about 11 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will appear in person at the Thompsons' home tonight and tomorrow night. LOCAL LIGHTS: For a detailed listing of the Fredericksburg area's own marvelously glowing homes, see Rob Hedelt's annual Christmas-light roundup in Sunday's Region section. He'll announce this year's most spectacular home in a column Tuesday. The following are just a few of the Thompsons' homemade decorations: A Nativity scene A snow family A 6-foot-tall skinny Santa and Mrs. Claus A Grinch that counts down the days till Christmas A toy soldier Gingerbread men A 12-foot star on the roof A lighted sign spelling out "Silent night, holy night" Three 18-foot lighted cactuses A lighted archway leading to the backyard--where there are still more lights.

Date published: 12/15/2006

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