I literally start planing for the next year's show well before the current year's show is even down!  I know that may sound crazy.  If you think of it more as a hobby, you can understand why it's a 365 day a year obsession!

Planning for the next year starts December 26'th - when I try to hit all the stores around to buy up as many lights as I need for the next year. By that time I already have a fair idea of what is going to be displayed in the following year's show.

During January I pack up the previous year's show. Everything is disassembled, boxed up, and loaded into the shed.

Once March/April rolls around, I start building all the new display items. I try to have everything built for that year no later than mid-August.

Starting at the end of August and running through the end of September, I work on sequencing that year's songs.

October is when I start getting things ready to go out. By the end of October I already have the security lighting, motion detection and surveillance camera systems up and running.

The first 2 weeks in November I test and repair all of the light strings, and start re-assembling all the display pieces so they are ready.