Osborne Family Spectacle Of Dancing Lights

Okay, I lied.  I said there would be no more Disney vacation pictures on my blog. However. Last week when we were at Hollywood Studios, we got to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and it WAS spectacular.  I had no idea who the Osborne Family was or why their lights were at Disney, so I did a little research.  It's a pretty cool story.

Jennings Osborne was a wealthy Arkansas philanthropist who was fascinated with Christmas displays.  He started decorating his suburban Little Rock home in 1986, and within a few Christmases he had transformed it into a "3.2 million light yuletide extravaganza".  It was so bright that pilots reportedly could see the house from 80 miles away.

30,000 people a year visited the display, which eventually caused problems with Osborne's neighbors, who didn't like the traffic and commotion.  In 1993 several neighbors filed a lawsuit against Osborne, which he ultimately lost, and the lights had to come down.

Soon after, Osborne was contacted by Disney, who wanted to purchase his decorations and continue the tradition.  Four 18 wheelers and Mickey Mouse showed up at his home to pick up the lights.  And then, of course, Disney took it to a whole. other. level.

They added more lights, music, and snow.  Even my teenagers, who complained about leaving the rides to "go see Christmas lights we can see at home", were impressed. Trust me, there's nothing like this at home.