[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
my name is Bruce Mertz and the people
around here call me mr. Christmas this
is my 31st year of putting up the lights
and I’ve been living here since 1977 and
every year I’ve start setting up at the
end of August takes me about three
months I just go from one thing to
another thing because I know if I just
do one thing a day I’m gonna get it done
most of the commercial lights fade out
over time so I’ve developed my own paint
that does not fade the lights that abuse
it on have lasted something like 12 13
years without ever fading I got to heat
up the insulation so it’s pliable right
now kind of stick I started with the
string of lights around the house my
neighbor across the street told me that
when I moved in here he got to add
something new every year you know that’s
there that’s the what we do around here
so over the years I’ve added something
every year and he hasn’t had anything he
still got the same string of full c9
bulbs from 40 years ago well he sits in
the house looks at this picture window
at this beautiful light display up with
across the street so you knows how to
work things you want me to brush it on
oh you want to see this girl do a trick
sure I’ll show you a trick maybe she
won’t do it anymore let me see
okay here we are
is that our truck all right Trixie
I first met Bruce at the AJ’s born grill
I used to play liar’s dice down there
and the guy liked to play liars die so I
met him while playing liar’s dice
sitting next to mr. Christmas is a good
spot I get lots of hugs
[Music]
about that buddy the first night of
tournament is on Thanksgiving night it’s
a happy holiday Christmas and happy
holiday New Year’s Eve is happy holiday
so I go on to the 2nd of January here we
go
when I start the lights at night I have
the CD with the national anthem I mean
the god Bless America so at 2 minutes
and 10 seconds before 6 o’clock I put on
the music
[Music]
and then as applause dies down I got all
my timers I got 14 timers all supposed
to kill at the same time when I go in
and I have a CD with all banjos playing
Christmas time tunes and that’s the
start of the evening
[Music]
[Applause]
and so I go out about every 15 20
minutes greet them leave for the evening
I’ll hand off photographs to them every
season now for the last four or five
years I’ve gone through about four
thousand photos well they usually asked
about three questions that I put the
answers to on a little label put on the
back of a photograph what is a how many
lights do you have and I said 51,000 all
those would take you to put them up this
is three months and what’s your PGD
built about $700
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
actually I have Antonio had a lot of fun
watching that people on the red carpet
especially kick yeah they have chasing
chasing the lights back and for working
the red carpet or else are rolling down
the hill it is hilarious did you say can
I come inside as it there’s nothing
inside
I mean there’s nothing that’s just you
know my cat that’s all there my tip my
cap by Trixie
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
his neighbors calling mr. Christmas and
every night at 6:00 p.m. sharp II flips
the switch his mind is so active it is
impossible for him to stop working
people in Ashman what could work where
do you buy all this stuff I say you
can’t buy us I build it all myself
I wish you a Merry Christmas I wish you
a Merry Christmas I wish you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year
[Music]
this is a sequencer I bought for $2 at a
in 1978 these relays here are mounted on
to fry pants that I bought from Kmart
and I’m using for a heat sink there’s 20
micro switches on here each one of these
little plastic plugs intercepts a switch
I’ve got a program so that the lights
chase around the house and groups within
blocks of a
[Music]
[Music]
I never got into lights until just a new
girl I grew up in the South Dakota I was
the youngest of ten we didn’t have
electricity then on a farm and I never
seen any electric lights or like that we
were not necessary that rich you know
and so brought presents were kind of few
apart between their enduring Christmas I
have a joke about South Dakota South
Dakota is he ever Neverland if he ever
believed you know we come back and I
finally left to join in an Air Force the
first time I ever rode on a train first
time I rode on a bus what to Fort Warren
Wyoming for electricians school that was
my first experience with lights colored
lights if someone come along and took
their hand like that and drag all the
wires all the way I wouldn’t know what
to do because I have no circuit design
here it’s all done my head turns add
arms and a jury rincon my heart if I
keep my hands off oh he’s okay
[Music]
Nellie was very interested in Christmas
she loves Christmas used to go to the
church and tell Christmas stories she is
so good at it when she had the kids in
tears they she described everything you
know but anyway we liked when we could
be in married 10 years
it was a childhood cancer that she had
acquired but it was caught an adult she
well she died by 18 my sector she got it
got the disease and I continued to go to
work and I’m retired from and retired
from civil service in 94 I realized I
had a life to live and what am I gonna
do and I said well the best thing I can
do it just do lights you know just keep
on doing lights you know that way kept
me busy but also allowed me to be able
to entertain people and have them be
become happy with a which in turn made
me happy
[Music]
we had a very up-and-down emotional day
last last Monday I was sitting that
garage here and my friend Randy was
sitting right over here next to me and
I’m looking out the door across the
street and I could see the garbage truck
coming around the corner big garbage
truck going about 45 mile an hour way
fat when speeding this 25 this big flash
of brown went up in the air like that
and and killed a cat I said Randy go see
that that’s tricks II can’t I can’t face
it to me and I came back to the garage I
said to Bruce I’m sorry
so I went over there and picked up
texting her brought her back put her in
the backyard
he took turns digging a hole cut a sheet
and put Trixie in it we both had tears
when I was doing this so we’ve lowered
in the hole put the sheet over the top
of it so I went back out here in the
garage and sat down tears still
streaming down my face and Randy was
Interiors tears streaming down – and all
of a sudden I look over and Trixie walks
in there’s Trucy oh my god there’s
Trixie I thought I was seen a ghost and
he’s all well you get hollered out loud
and when all that noise came when she
just took off right we couldn’t find her
again I thought that was unbelievable I
don’t believe that happened Brandi said
I was a look for eyes it
she that’s just an apparition you didn’t
you didn’t see it so then he finally
found her that caught her and then I got
to thinking oh my neighbor’s cat it
looks just like Trixie but when I went
out to pick up Trixie it didn’t have any
thoughts that would be somebody else at
the Capitol and I said Frank I said once
you sit down they’re not dumb I says you
know I think that
your cat is buried on the backyard here
he’s I don’t know how I’m gonna tell my
wife I said well good luck I says I’m
sorry I’ll tell you one thing you won’t
have to do too much grieving because we
did all the grieving for you
[Music]
hi Santa alright see you next year
hope you don’t wore out your arms waving
at people
there we go their goals don’t do it
stay on so you got to go in and turn the
rest of stuff off leave up a little bit
okay okay if you like
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Music]
Trixie yeah oh yeah that’s what lights
go off and it’s rather dismal you know I
mean I’m yeah like say we’re at all the
fun go you know I mean and once I get
back in the the idea that I got to take
this stuff down well then it’s just a
normal part of the cycle of Christmas
New Year’s Easter
[Music]
[Music]
you
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
my name is Bruce Mertz and the people
around here call me mr. Christmas this
is my 31st year of putting up the lights
and I’ve been living here since 1977 and
every year I’ve start setting up at the
end of August takes me about three
months I just go from one thing to
another thing because I know if I just
do one thing a day I’m gonna get it done
most of the commercial lights fade out
over time so I’ve developed my own paint
that does not fade the lights that abuse
it on have lasted something like 12 13
years without ever fading I got to heat
up the insulation so it’s pliable right
now kind of stick I started with the
string of lights around the house my
neighbor across the street told me that
when I moved in here he got to add
something new every year you know that’s
there that’s the what we do around here
so over the years I’ve added something
every year and he hasn’t had anything he
still got the same string of full c9
bulbs from 40 years ago well he sits in
the house looks at this picture window
at this beautiful light display up with
across the street so you knows how to
work things you want me to brush it on
oh you want to see this girl do a trick
sure I’ll show you a trick maybe she
won’t do it anymore let me see
okay here we are
is that our truck all right Trixie
I first met Bruce at the AJ’s born grill
I used to play liar’s dice down there
and the guy liked to play liars die so I
met him while playing liar’s dice
sitting next to mr. Christmas is a good
spot I get lots of hugs
[Music]
about that buddy the first night of
tournament is on Thanksgiving night it’s
a happy holiday Christmas and happy
holiday New Year’s Eve is happy holiday
so I go on to the 2nd of January here we
go
when I start the lights at night I have
the CD with the national anthem I mean
the god Bless America so at 2 minutes
and 10 seconds before 6 o’clock I put on
the music
[Music]
and then as applause dies down I got all
my timers I got 14 timers all supposed
to kill at the same time when I go in
and I have a CD with all banjos playing
Christmas time tunes and that’s the
start of the evening
[Music]
[Applause]
and so I go out about every 15 20
minutes greet them leave for the evening
I’ll hand off photographs to them every
season now for the last four or five
years I’ve gone through about four
thousand photos well they usually asked
about three questions that I put the
answers to on a little label put on the
back of a photograph what is a how many
lights do you have and I said 51,000 all
those would take you to put them up this
is three months and what’s your PGD
built about $700
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
actually I have Antonio had a lot of fun
watching that people on the red carpet
especially kick yeah they have chasing
chasing the lights back and for working
the red carpet or else are rolling down
the hill it is hilarious did you say can
I come inside as it there’s nothing
inside
I mean there’s nothing that’s just you
know my cat that’s all there my tip my
cap by Trixie
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
his neighbors calling mr. Christmas and
every night at 6:00 p.m. sharp II flips
the switch his mind is so active it is
impossible for him to stop working
people in Ashman what could work where
do you buy all this stuff I say you
can’t buy us I build it all myself
I wish you a Merry Christmas I wish you
a Merry Christmas I wish you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year
[Music]
this is a sequencer I bought for $2 at a
in 1978 these relays here are mounted on
to fry pants that I bought from Kmart
and I’m using for a heat sink there’s 20
micro switches on here each one of these
little plastic plugs intercepts a switch
I’ve got a program so that the lights
chase around the house and groups within
blocks of a
[Music]
[Music]
I never got into lights until just a new
girl I grew up in the South Dakota I was
the youngest of ten we didn’t have
electricity then on a farm and I never
seen any electric lights or like that we
were not necessary that rich you know
and so brought presents were kind of few
apart between their enduring Christmas I
have a joke about South Dakota South
Dakota is he ever Neverland if he ever
believed you know we come back and I
finally left to join in an Air Force the
first time I ever rode on a train first
time I rode on a bus what to Fort Warren
Wyoming for electricians school that was
my first experience with lights colored
lights if someone come along and took
their hand like that and drag all the
wires all the way I wouldn’t know what
to do because I have no circuit design
here it’s all done my head turns add
arms and a jury rincon my heart if I
keep my hands off oh he’s okay
[Music]
Nellie was very interested in Christmas
she loves Christmas used to go to the
church and tell Christmas stories she is
so good at it when she had the kids in
tears they she described everything you
know but anyway we liked when we could
be in married 10 years
it was a childhood cancer that she had
acquired but it was caught an adult she
well she died by 18 my sector she got it
got the disease and I continued to go to
work and I’m retired from and retired
from civil service in 94 I realized I
had a life to live and what am I gonna
do and I said well the best thing I can
do it just do lights you know just keep
on doing lights you know that way kept
me busy but also allowed me to be able
to entertain people and have them be
become happy with a which in turn made
me happy
[Music]
we had a very up-and-down emotional day
last last Monday I was sitting that
garage here and my friend Randy was
sitting right over here next to me and
I’m looking out the door across the
street and I could see the garbage truck
coming around the corner big garbage
truck going about 45 mile an hour way
fat when speeding this 25 this big flash
of brown went up in the air like that
and and killed a cat I said Randy go see
that that’s tricks II can’t I can’t face
it to me and I came back to the garage I
said to Bruce I’m sorry
so I went over there and picked up
texting her brought her back put her in
the backyard
he took turns digging a hole cut a sheet
and put Trixie in it we both had tears
when I was doing this so we’ve lowered
in the hole put the sheet over the top
of it so I went back out here in the
garage and sat down tears still
streaming down my face and Randy was
Interiors tears streaming down – and all
of a sudden I look over and Trixie walks
in there’s Trucy oh my god there’s
Trixie I thought I was seen a ghost and
he’s all well you get hollered out loud
and when all that noise came when she
just took off right we couldn’t find her
again I thought that was unbelievable I
don’t believe that happened Brandi said
I was a look for eyes it
she that’s just an apparition you didn’t
you didn’t see it so then he finally
found her that caught her and then I got
to thinking oh my neighbor’s cat it
looks just like Trixie but when I went
out to pick up Trixie it didn’t have any
thoughts that would be somebody else at
the Capitol and I said Frank I said once
you sit down they’re not dumb I says you
know I think that
your cat is buried on the backyard here
he’s I don’t know how I’m gonna tell my
wife I said well good luck I says I’m
sorry I’ll tell you one thing you won’t
have to do too much grieving because we
did all the grieving for you
[Music]
hi Santa alright see you next year
hope you don’t wore out your arms waving
at people
there we go their goals don’t do it
stay on so you got to go in and turn the
rest of stuff off leave up a little bit
okay okay if you like
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Music]
Trixie yeah oh yeah that’s what lights
go off and it’s rather dismal you know I
mean I’m yeah like say we’re at all the
fun go you know I mean and once I get
back in the the idea that I got to take
this stuff down well then it’s just a
normal part of the cycle of Christmas
New Year’s Easter
[Music]
[Music]
you
[Music]
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