Minnesota Now with Nina Moini

The author of MN's definitive guide to holiday lights on the state's best displays

aerial view of a house decked out in holiday lights and decor
The Lakota Christmas House in Blaine, Minn.
Courtesy of Mike Marcotte

When it comes to holiday light displays, there's a big difference between being your neighborhood’s Clark Griswold — and being your neighborhood's Grinch.

Mike Marcotte has seen it all. He’s a television producer in the Twin Cities at KSTP-TV, and he also runs the website GiveMeTheMike.com — where he has published his fifth annual Minnesota Holiday Lights Display Guide.

Marcotte joined host Cathy Wurzer to share the lowdown on the best holiday light displays in the state — and what makes for a great holiday light display (in his humble opinion):

  1. Synchronized music

  2. Blow molds

  3. New-age LED lights

Have a grand holiday light display at your home that you want to share with the world? Send Minnesota Now a photo at minnesotanow@mpr.org, or tweet Cathy a pic @CathyWurzer.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotify or wherever you get your podcasts.