Father and son duo compete with Christmas lights

MERRILL, Wis. (WSAW) - Some people may not think it’s the holiday season yet, but for this father and son, it’s a time for jolly and competition.

“When it’s warm and the ground is thawed out, everything is going up,” Tim Seiwert said.

For Seiwert, this is his championship that he looks forward to every year.

“Always wanted to be the first. Always wanted to be the best. If they ever had a decorating contest, I always wanted to be on the front page,” he explained.

A front page appearance hasn’t happened yet, but it’s turned into a family tradition.

“They always said ‘Dad, dad. We got to get going. We got to start decorating when it’s warm out,’” Seiwert explained.

Those days are long gone, with many of the kids grown up and out of the house. Now, just 5 minutes down the road, Tim’s son, Dallas, has his own display.

“I think it’s three years now that I’ve been doing it on my own. This will be the fourth,” Dallas Seiwert explained.

Like father, like son, he’s trying to one-up his dad who taught him his magic,

“It gives him more fuel to try and go bigger and better for himself,” Dallas said with a laugh.

Dallas set up his display first, but his dad found a way to top him once again.

“I had mine up and I thought I was going to, and then he had to go and one-up me and make the lights flash so I think he has me this year,” he explained.

“My son might’ve beaten me putting up the Christmas lights, but I outdid him by doing something different.” Tim Seiwert said he typed in a Facebook comment.

While both houses shine bright, it’s the relationship between father and son that shines brighter.

“To have the relationship like we have with the Christmas lights makes me really happy and makes him really happy,” Dallas said.

“It’s not a love/hate relationship. It’s just something that we love to do,” Tim explained.

This year Dallas did help his dad Tim with this impressive light display, so it is competitive but it’s all for fun,