Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my house added to the map?

Please fill out the form linked on our Map or Halloween page. The link changes each season.

I added my house last year. Do I need to add it again?

Yes. We wipe the map clean each year, so if you want to be on it again, you need to submit your display again. This gives visitors greater peace of mind that a display is actually up and running for the season, instead of taking a gamble and driving to an "unconfirmed" listing from last year, where the people may have moved away or stopped doing a display.

How long does it take to add my home to the map?

It should take 1-2 days to get your display added to the Google map and the website. Allow a few more days for your display to be added to the mobile app, since we're at the mercy of Apple on getting updates approved in a timely manner.

Is my house "worthy" of being on the map?

This is a fair question, and the answer isn't so simple. For example, some people only want to visit the light shows synced to music, and some people don't like the light shows at all. So, we don't exclude any submissions, but we do require at least one photo, a description of your display with your submission, and you need to tell us if it's synced to music or not. This allows visitors and map viewers to determine for themselves if your home is worth going to. 

The best advice I can give is to take a look at your display, and ask yourself if you would be willing to drive out of your way to see it. If you are willing to, odds are good that someone else is willing to as well.

How do I add an event to the Events Calendar?

On our Events page, there is a submission link. Click on that link to submit information about your event.

Why do you do this?

I wanted to have a more central resource for finding Christmas displays, rather than searching on Google and going to several different websites. And it turns out that other people really wanted that too! So I do this each year as a public service for the Treasure Valley, a community that I have lived in nearly my entire life (I am a proud Idaho native), and love very dearly. Read more here.

How can I support this project?

The best way to support this project is to make a donation. We accept donations via Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, and Buy Me a Coffee. This project does take a lot of time to maintain, as well as yearly web hosting costs. And with the mobile app, we now have developer fees we need to pay as well.

I want to start a display at my home. Can you help?

We have a really good group of decorators here in Boise that are willing to help you out in person or virtually. You can join our Facebook group Behind The Lights - Boise.

Do you sell Christmas lights or have any preferred vendors?

We don't sell or install Christmas lights, and we don't have a list of preferred vendors.

Why do you watermark your images?

I've ran into issues with pages and websites stealing my content without attribution. Since that's a crappy thing to do, I watermark images. That way, if people still want to use the images on their content (which is fine) it will at least give attribution back to me.

Can I use your images on my site?

Yes, that's fine. All I ask is that you either leave the watermark and/or include credit to our project (@BoiseChristmasLights, BoiseChristmasLights.org, etc) so we get proper attribution. Thanks!