Lexington home shines bright for Christmas with inventive, programmed display.

When put on disability from his job as a mechanic ten years ago in, Matt Smith was bored and did not know what to do with his free time.

Following a family tradition at his parents home that he lives in on Mount McKinley Way, Smith focused on transforming his house into an intricate, technological wonderland.

Smith turned a hobby of Christmas decorating into a sight — what he calls Mount McKinley Lights — to see each year.

Smith’s home, on 2956 Mount McKinley Way off Man o’ War Boulevard, is now one of the most popular local Christmas destinations for families. Smith calls it his passion and he plans it throughout the year.

The highlight of Smith’s show features two large LED Christmas trees, which Smith has programmed to show that graphics and lights synced to Christmas songs, which visitors can listen to on 88.5 FM when they drive by the house.

The show Smith has made is nearly two hours long and includes traditional Christmas songs, parody songs, instrumental songs from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and some older selections with a modern twist.

“I played drums since I was 3; I was always musically talented,” Smith said. “My family loves music. Every Friday, Saturday night that’s all we did, listen to music. It felt right to do this.”

Smith also has placed lights throughout the exterior of the house. There is an archway in the driveway, a nativity scene, another lit programmed Christmas tree and many cartoon characters.

A virtual Santa can be seen in a bedroom window. Smith said that it is always one of the highlights for children.

He also puts up inflatables in the backyard so drivers on Man o’ War can see his home.

The costly part of decorating is purchasing the equipment, Smith said. Because a lot of the display is run off a computer, lighting the home each night during the holidays is not as expensive as one might expect.

Smith said he does the work to see the smiles on people’s faces.

“That’s what it all boils down to. Someone could be having a bad day, a bad week, and they see this, and it will take them back to their childhood,” he said. “It’s about seeing them smile and making lifelong memories. That’s why I do it.”

It will take Smith about three days to remove the display after New Year’s, he said.

Because he is on disability from diabetes and pays for supplies for his display out of his own pocket, Smith said he has had to get resourceful with his display each year. One of the bedrooms in his home is filled with old and new decorations he can use.

“It’s my passion. I eat, drink and sleep it,” Smith said of his display. “Christmas is always on my mind.”

Smith also uses his display to give food to God’s pantry. In 2016, Smith said he collected almost 600 pounds of food from people stopping by his home.

“That’s one of the pros of doing it,” he said. “This is my fifth year doing the God’s Pantry collection. I thought about what else we could do, and you don’t hear people doing much for God’s Pantry. It teaches kids to give back to the community.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2018 at 2:16 PM.