String up the extension cords and check those GFCI outlets, because the annual spectacle of amperage overload and questionable taste known as The Great Christmas Light Fight returns. This time, four families—the Richards, Kraklow, Clark, and Bell clans—throw their Santa hats into the ring, each hoping their dazzling display will snag the $50,000 prize and the coveted Light Fight trophy.
Frankly, I’m always baffled by the sheer dedication on display here. The time, the money, the inevitable arguments with neighbors over blown transformers…it’s a lot. But hey, who am I to judge? I’m just here to provide sarcastic commentary while these families turn their front yards into miniature Disneylands.
This season continues the grand tradition of festive one-upmanship. We’ll witness synchronized light shows choreographed to holiday earworms, enough inflatable snowmen to fill a blimp hangar, and enough twinkling lights to be visible from the International Space Station. And, let’s face it, there’s a certain voyeuristic pleasure in watching families inevitably succumb to the stress of holiday decorating. It’s like a festive pressure cooker, and somebody’s bound to crack.
Presiding over this luminous chaos is Carter Oosterhouse, who, I suspect, spends most of his judging time calculating his own electricity bill after witnessing these displays. He’ll have the unenviable task of deciding which family’s festive fervor is worthy of the Light Fight championship.
The Great Christmas Light Fight Season 12 Episode 4 airs Thursday, December 12 at 9:00 PM on ABC.
