REVIEW Holiday lights take spotlight

The book features an abundance of photographs.
By AMBER NIMOCKS
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
"Holiday Lights," by David Seidman (Storey Publishing, $16.95)
Head toward the light. The instinct is primal. And as strings of holiday bulbs begin snaking around porch pillars, across rooflines and into every tree and shrub in sight, their lure is undeniable. In celebration of this primal urge gone electric, author David Seidman has created a compendium of magnificent displays, holiday-light history and lighting tips bound to turn glowheads on.
Thumbing through the book is like touring the world in Santa's sleigh; fun and beautiful photographs light up almost every page. Amid photos of obscure shacks in desert outposts and New York's Chrysler Building, several Lone Star State displays rate mentions: Austin's 37th Street and Zilker Park neighborhoods, Marble Falls, Johnson City, Galveston's Moody Gardens and Arlington's High Point Church are among them.
Behind the scenes
As fascinating as the photos are the secrets behind the displays. Think you're sending TXU a big check? How about baker Emilio Palmero, who ran up $4,500 light bills each season. Wonder how your neighbor gets his lights in sync with his sound system? Meet Drew Hickman, inventor of Dasher, the program that lets light-display junkies control their creations via computer.
Why do neighborhood displays blossom into Olympian contests? Not even Seidman can shed light on that one. "We sit and stare at each other," says one competitive decorator. "Then we run out and get more lights."