Saugus resident goes all out for Christmas display

SAUGUS – Close to 100,000 lights, including LED polar bears, soldiers, angels and animated penguins throwing snowballs adorn Mike Conlon?s front lawn.Conlon has been working at least eight hours a day for the past month decorating his Lynn Fells Parkway home for his epic Christmas display.Thousands of glowing icicles line the roof of Conlon?s two-story home, while the trees on his front lawn are spun with more than 50 feet of lights.Conlon also makes use of a natural landscape feature, a brook that runs through his front yard, with a boat crossing it at one end and a giant “peace on earth” sign spanning it on the other, each supported by extension ladders covered in green garland.?I enjoy the season,” said Conlon, who has been decorating his Saugus home like this for 12 years. “I love Christmas. I didn?t expect it to ever be this big. You just don?t know what one year is going to lead to the next.”But the countless strands of lights are nothing compared to the elaborate props Conlon has set up.Next to his house sits a giant white mountain made of a plywood frame covered in white tarps, lights and skiing reindeer. There?s also a miniature working Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.Conlon said he has “no idea” how much he?s spent on everything, but there is one expense he watches closely: his electric bill.Conlon said it cost him $1,400 to power everything for the month of December three years ago.But after making a gradual change to LED lighting, Conlon was able to knock that down to $500 last December.?It?s about 90 percent LED,” said Conlon. “I have receipts and all that, but I haven?t counted it up. It?s a pretty good expense.”Vandals have also targeted his house, including once several years ago when someone came by one Saturday night and trampled most of the decorations on the front lawn.?But we were able to fix it in about eight hours,” said Conlon. “I had eight news trucks in the driveway because of it. I have to be around a lot and I have to be aware of what?s going on.”Not everyone is the biggest fan of Conlon?s display, however.One neighbor simply shook his head and declined to comment when asked about Conlon?s decorations.Dr. Fred Wagner, who lives across the street, said traffic gets snarled once the sun goes down and people come by the see the house.?It makes it terrible getting out of my driveway,” said Wagner. “I can?t get in or out. People need to be a little more polite.”Despite the traffic problems, Wagner said he thinks it?s worth it.?It?s wonderful,” said Wagner. “I love it. It?s very festive and I think it?s admirable for a fella to be spending that much money. He?s a very good neighbor.”Heading up Conlon?s driveway, two lit up Nutcracker soldiers guard the bridge that crosses the brook, with eight 10-foot tall candy cane-shaped trees lining either side, each wrapped in green garland.Hundreds of people flock to the area every weekend to see the house, said Conlon.Conlon set up orange cones and roped off an area on the sidewalk where people can walk and view his decorations.?We allow them to walk around the front area,” said Conlon, who owns a security company and works from home. “You can see the grass area has been destroyed out there. Most people are cooperative. We don?t want people walking (up the driveway), except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I?ll allow it.”At 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Conlon will hire a 19th century choir with a full sound system to sing Christmas carols while baby Jesus is added to the nativity scene. And on the Friday before Christmas, Conlon will have Santa Claus himself handing out candy canes.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter @MattTempesta.