'Just a Christmas nerd': Texas family's home light show mistaken for aliens, draws out crowd

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Strange lights in the skies caused a bit of chaos in Georgetown this December, some questioning if the unidentified lights could be aliens.

So much so, that there's been a lot of chatter about it on social media. Behind the lights isn't anything or anyone extra terrestrial. Rather, it's one man who loves Christmas, a lot, and is putting on the most elaborate light show he's done to date.

"I started planning for it the day after Christmas last year,'' Chris Hartgraves said.

It's a carefully curated show that's grown over the last three years. It's an elaborate production with 13,000 lights.

“Everybody knows I save up my vacation time, and they know my vacation once a year, is to actually just set up the lights," Hartgraves said.

The thousands of lights are individually controlled by Hartgraves.

“I'm not creative, not smart, I'm not an IT guy, I'm just a Christmas nerd.”

Chris Hartgraves

Most of the work starts in his garage. He keeps a list of what he needs on the wall, builds most of the Christmas decorations himself and taught himself how to program his home’s light show on a computer software.

“I put all the models on the house, [here on the computer program],'' Hargraves said.

That model is a digital replica of his actual home, and he's able to see how the light show will play out in real time from his computer.

“Every week, it's a different show," Hartgraves neighbor, Kay Hood said. "On the Facebook page, people are wondering, what are these things that I can see from you know, H-E-B or down the street and everybody's commenting that it's Chris again, doing his light show."

Hartgraves said he didn't expect his lights to confuse so many people.

“People thought it was Elon Musk and his Starlink," Hartgraves said. "Some people it was aliens coming down to land.”

Hartgraves even got the cops called on him this year. He said they had to verify that he wasn’t intentionally pointing the flashing concert lights on his roof at aircraft.

“I invited them to stick around and watch the show, which they did, which was pretty cool," Hartgraves said with a laugh.

There are talking tree and light bulb animations on Hartgraves home, that play during the shows. He said they represent his family. He, his wife and two daughters even recorded their own voices, making it all the more personal.

“I grew up in apartments, so I'd never had a house to decorate for Christmas," Hargraves said. "And, I didn't want the same experience for my kids growing up... selfishly, I've given myself those memories too.”

Those memories, now shared with an entire community of families, many kids dancing and singing along.

“And then go home with hopefully a little bit more Christmas spirit in the heart," Hartgraves said.

Hartgraves said the lights are on every single night. But the light show happens Friday through Sunday from 6:30 to 9. Shows run every 15 minutes, free for anyone who wants to come enjoy the lights.

Christmas Eve will be the final show, according to Hargraves. He said hundreds have already come out to see the flashy show