Not to be outdone by his neighbours, the South Tamworth father-of-three has set up an elaborate, 2000-light, computer-controlled system at his Elm St home. The lights even flash in time to music, with 64 modern Christmas carols playing on a loop.

Passers-by can even tune their car radios into the frequency of the Innes’s carols.

Mr Innes has been working on the state-of-the-art system since February (he even built the lights from scratch) and is believed to be one of only a handful nationwide to have his Christmas lights powered by a computer.

“I got the idea from someone on YouTube and it’s popular overseas,” Mr Innes said.

“I was told by my wife I needed a hobby and this became it.”

He said sharing the festive spirit and the satisfaction of seeing the finished product were also big motivators.

But motivating his three kids to go to bed at night hasn’t been so easy.

“They love the lights and the music but it can be a bit of a distraction at bedtime,” he said.

“They take every opportunity they can to go outside and dance.”

Mr Innes is one of dozens to already have signed up for The Leader’s interactive Christmas lights map.

For more information, visit www.northerndailyleader.com.au