You may not know Max Jago's name or face, but it's highly likely that you know his house.
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It's a Tuesday afternoon, and while many are out at work or doing last minute Christmas shopping for family, Mr Jago and friends are hard at work in the spare room, packing over $1000 worth of wrapped lollies in bags to give out to visitors on Christmas Eve.
There's a Santa costume in the corner of the room and bags stacked into containers - the last finishing touches to months of hard work by the Newnham electrical contractor and small business owner.
Mr Jago has become "locally famous" in the last two years for an audiovisual display that adorns the exterior walls, roof, and front garden of his Alanvale Road home.
2019 was the first year Mr Jago decided to transform his house for the festive season.
"Last Christmas was my first year, but it'd been a concept in my mind since 2016 when I saw displays in California on social media," Mr Jago said.
"I went righto, that's what I want to do when I can afford it, and business went okay so I used it as an advertising expense and it's grown from there."
Mr Jago's Christmas lights aren't like any other display - with corflute cutouts, reindeers molded to the roof, a synchronised music and video display on two large television screens soldered to his front windows.
2020 saw him add a snow machine, to the delight of families who viewed the display.
While looking at Christmas lights weren't a big tradition in Mr Jago's family, he said he'd loved them since he was younger.
"I've always loved music, lights, electronics and fire, and now I've put it all together" he said.
This year, Mr Jago also worked up a display for Halloween.
Coverage in The Examiner, across social media and on television saw his efforts going viral across the country, to his delight.
The day after Halloween had Mr Jago climbing on his roof to begin the tedious task of taking down the display, before planning what to do for Christmas, which he said was bigger and better.
He described the lighting displays as a passion project and labour of love.
"It keeps me occupied for months of the year, and it's really just a good thing for the community," he said.
"It brings a crowd because people enjoy it. I get social time out of talking to people from my front yard, it's a good thing."
The investment
The mammoth transformation is costly - with costs involved for all aspects, from custom display screens to corflute cutouts, ethanol for fireworks and everything in between.
It's a cost that comes out of his own pocket - but Mr Jago believes he would have spent over $100,000 in the last two years.
"The snow machine, the fluid for that alone was a thousand dollars for the night," he said.
"Ethanol and nitrogen was around $1500 just for Christmas Eve.
"The snow machines were $12,000 all up, the flame machines cost around $3500 per machine in parts - I designed and built those myself.
"The television screens were just under $20,000 each by the time I purchased everything and built them."
Mr Jago doesn't have anyone else contributing financially, putting on the displays purely for his own creativity and the enjoyment of others.
"It's just for the benefit of the community, and I get so much out of it at the same time," he said.
"I just enjoy doing it, and that's it really.
"The money isn't a concern, I can always keep working and earn more, two minute noodles for tea might be my next twelve months though."
The money isn't a concern, I can always keep working and earn more, two minute noodles for tea might be my next twelve months though
- Max Jago
Mr Jago estimates he spends hundreds of hours across the year planning his displays.
"I start the programming and the setting it up on the computers at the beginning of the year, it's a lot of nights," he said.
"Then come July-ish we start building things in the shed, pushing the lights into the corflute cutouts, wiring the pig tails and then we have to start mounting things to the house - welding up steel frames, bolting it to the house, it's a list that's for sure.
"I've had a few paid workers on weekends to get it over the line, and I've got a great team of friends and volunteers helping me as well."
Community consultation
Mr Jago spoke with his neighbours before putting together the initial display in 2019 - ensuring he had their support before undertaking the mammoth effort that lights up the neighbourhood.
He organised an FM transmitter so people could tune into their car radios to listen to the music, in an effort to provide minimal disruption.
"I ended up having to put speakers in the front yard because so many people would get out of the car and want to watch so they wouldn't be able to hear," he said.
"Thankfully I haven't had any neighbours knocking on my door - yet."
Giving back to charity
Continuing on with his attempts at spreading positivity in the community, Mr Jago uses his light displays as a charity fundraiser, this year supporting Beyond Blue, which he said was close to his heart.
"It's definitely been a year where mental health has impacted a lot of people and Beyond Blue are a great cause," he said.
"I put an ad out, and said that if any businesses wanted to put an ad on the tv screens throughout the display they could make a donation and I'd do that.
"Rexel Electrical Supplies got on board, which was nice of them. I've also got the link to my Beyond Blue fundraiser on the SunSmart Facebook page, which we've had some donations for.
"I've had tins out on busy nights in case people want to give monetary donations - it's important to give back where I can.
"I have all this attention, I may as well use it for good."
Plans for the future
Mr Jago plans to enjoy the Christmas and New Year period with friends and family, but said he was already plotting how to go bigger and better for next year's displays.
"Obviously packing it all away is the first thing to do," he said.
"I'm hoping that the first two weeks after Christmas I'll have some time to start pulling it all down and figuring out where I'm going to store it, because it'll take up a lot of room in the shed this year.
"The TV's, I'm not quite sure yet because they're about 170 kilograms and take five guys to put up or pull down so that's a process.
"As for next year - Halloween I've got a few ideas, my intention is to undergo stunt training and rise from a grave on fire but I have to go to Queensland to do stunt training and buy the fire suit but the cost could be an issue, as could COVID and any border closures.
"But as for Christmas, I haven't had a second to think about it - if people want to give me any ideas I'll certainly take them."
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