How to make christmas lights dance
How to Make Your Christmas Lights Sync to Music - Smart Garage | Home Automation
Christmas Light Sync to Music? How?
If you are reading this article, you must have googled the keyword, “Christmas light show.” You probably also found many videos of great Christmas light show that synchronize perfectly with various pop songs. If you want your own lights to flash to the tunes of your favorite music, then you must make a plan and get the right types of equipment for your light show set up. You need to spend a lot of time, lighting and tools to complete it to ensure the end result is awesome. Here are the 10 steps to your light show set up:
- Decide your light show scale
- Prepare your light show equipment
- Obtain a control system
- Acquire outside assistance
- Design your display
- Program your show
- Let them hear you
- Get powered up
- Publicize
- Maintain your display
1.
When planning a light show, one of the first steps is to determine how many channels your show requires and what lighting elements will be controlled by each channel. Decide how your lights show scale is important. You can either choose a specific highlight spot of your house or choose to light up your entire house. While you are planning the scale of your light show, you need to understand following set up concepts:
- Know your Channel number requirements.
- A channel is a unit of lights that can be controlled individually. The flash of a string of Christmas light is controlled by one channel.
- All the lights in a channel work as a single unit. Unfortunately, you can’t flash an individual light bulb. However, you can control the flashing speed and frequency to match your music categories.
- For an entire house set up, you may need up to 64 channels. Any bigger than that, you might need a professional to assist you.
- A medium-size house typically needs 32 channels to set up.
- A small scale like your garage, your front door, or your living room tree area, you can consider using our TapTap for simple (still professional) set up.
Once you decided the scale of your light show, now you will need to prepare for the equipment, specifically, the Christmas lights. The best time to purchase your Christmas light would be after Christmas, usually the price fall to 20-30% of the regular price. However, you can always check out online deals on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, K-Mart for special sales. Your total list of equipment includes:
- Christmas Lights
- Light Control System
- Software System
- Sound System
LED Christmas Lights
In addition, we would also recommend you choosing LED Christmas lights for several benefits. Most people know that LED Christmas lights save a lot of electricity but there are many more reasons to consider making the switch.
Connect More Light Strings
You can typically connect 8 to 10 times more LED light strings together end to end while only using one plug outlet. Most traditional Christmas mini lights allow you to connect only 4 or 5 sets end to end, but with many LED mini light strings you can connect 40 to 50+ together depending on the light count. This makes decorating large Christmas displays far easier.
Cool to the Touch
LEDs produce next to no heat, which means they’re always cool to the touch and safe for children and animals to be around all season.
Visually Unparalleled
LED bulbs produce a brighter more vivid light than traditional incandescent bulbs. The light output is stunning and one of the most complimented aspects of LED lights in customer reviews!
Incredibly Long Life
Many LED light sets are rated to last tens of thousands of hours, which is well beyond a traditional set of incandescent mini lights that typically may last only a season or two.
Advanced Technology, Innovative Designs
LEDs are available in a kaleidoscope of colors and several varieties even feature unique light display capabilities such as being dimmable and color changing. The newest RGB LEDs are even capable of thousands of light color combinations!
LED lights are much easier to use for large Christmas displays, they are safer, they last longer, they produce more vivid color and use up to 90% less energy. Now you know why so many people have already made the switch.
3. Obtain a light show control system.
When it comes to a control system, you have 3 options based on your knowledge and budget:
- A fully built system
- A kit
- A DIY control system
I. A fully built light show system
A fully built system is a system that made and tested out of the box. It costs you about $20 – $25 per channel. A fully built system can be purchased from various online stores.
If you are the following type of person, you should go for this because it saves you a lot of time!
- Those do not want to do any electrical work.
- Those who have no idea of where to start.
II. A light show Kit
A light show kit is s starter kit that functions almost the same as the system. It costs from $15 or so per channel, but it’s pretty much the same thing as a fully built product. The only difference that I can think off is the enclosure, and it is very simple to place an electronics board in an enclosure.
- A great option if you’re looking to save money.
- You can pretty much purchase all the parts from the online store now, including the bare circuit board and the parts.
- Require minor work and customization.
III. A DIY Light Show control system (DIY KIT)
A DIY system costs roughly $5 per channel and up. The price depends on how much you actually do yourself.
A system consists of a controller, which communicates with your computer, and solid-state relays (SSRs), which actually switch the lights. SSRs can be bought or made yourself.
- Budget saver
- Requires lots of time on hardware
- Total customization
- For those who enjoy the engineering process!
4. Get the right Light Show Software.
The light show software breaks the song into segments, allowing you to program each channel of light to either fade, twinkle or turn on and off in each section. Most of us are not software programmers; therefore, getting software for your light show system is essential. There are a few venders that provide excellent services, and some software can be free when you purchase the whole package. Here are some of the current software options you should consider!
Free source:
- Vixen is a free, open-source software for Christmas lighting. If you’re just starting out, and are not looking into detail perfection, then Vixen may be a good starting option for you.
- xLights is a popular Christmas sequencing program for the “DIY” community. It is open source like Vixen. xLights has a strong passionate community behind it, and you can see that the developers are constantly improving the functions of the software. The only downside that xLights requires some learning curve. For those who want to be professional in the light show community, xLights is the best and most often updated program for now.
- Light-O-Rama provides is a paid program. To me personally, it is a bit expensive for “once-a-year” use. To me, the set up is a bit complex and difficult too.
Note, if you are a tech-wizard who wish to program the whole thing yourself, you might not be able to have the option for pre-built products, as most of the brand products are closed-source and hard to be compatable with the others.
Quick reminder! Making a total DIY system is fun, but for beginners, it’s a lot of electronic troubles.
If you are building a small scale fun light show. You should check out TapTap, a 6 channel christmas light controller. It even has a built in AI that builds the light show for you. And it can synchronize with Asante GV- The smart garage door opener!
5. Design your display, Light Styles & Decorating Ideas
Design the actual outside portion of your display. Common elements to include the following types of lights & locations:
- Mini lights or net lights display – windows, bushes & walls
- Icicle lights or c-series display – roof and ceiling design
- Mini Trees / Tomato cages display – animated tree display
- A Mega Tree display – large animated tree display
- Wireframes display – 2D or 3D in shape, animated display
- Blow molds display – yard corner display
- C9 Christmas Lights Display – outdoor, sideway display
Mini lights or net lights display
Mini lights or net lights usually go on landscaping, such as bushes, windows and a large area of walls.
Icicle lights or c-series lights display.
Icicle lights or c-series lights usually go on the roof and ceiling area.
Mini Trees / Tomato cages display.
Mini Trees / Tomato cages wrapped in lights of one or multiple colors. Arranged in a line or a triangle, they are very useful in an animated display.
A Mega Tree display
A Mega Tree usually consists of a large pole with lights extending from the top to a large ring around the base. Again, it is very useful in animation.
Wireframes display
Wireframes Christmas displays are metal frames with lights attached. It can be either 2D or 3D in shape.
Blow molds display
Blow molds are plastic lighted sculptures of deer, Santas, etc. They are usually placed throughout the yard.
C9 Christmas Lights Display
C9 Lights are bulbous, colorful lights that usually go on the yard perimeter.
6. Program your show
Program your light show is time-consuming! This process includes your music of choice, which node should sync with which light string, and how long should your display be.
The traditional programing can take up to a few months. The more your channels are, the more complicated your show is.
Taptap II includes a built-in AI that can help you generate a sync song automatically. The AI itself will save you lots of time in managing your display.
7. Speaker Options
Okay, now let’s talk about the speaker of choices. If you have a large scale light display, you will need to make sure that your speakers are good enough for the area to hear, but you also need to be mindful of your neighbors. Speakers playing the same music over and over again will sometimes drive the neighbors crazy.
If you noticed that your neighbor might not be too happy about the light show music, you will need to broadcast over an FM frequency.
There are many outdoor speakers, make sure the speaker you use is dusk resist and water resist. Once the speaker is set, Respectfully inform your neighbors of your plan to create a light show display.
Stick to a single showing at the top of the hour, once or twice a night. Once your neighbor knows your display schedule, you should be okay with the light display. My trick is to include their favorite songs into your display list and make it a group project.
8. Promote your light show work
Finally, your light show is ready. If this is your first time putting the light show together, you would need someone to spread your work and build a good reputation for you. Here are some steps we recommend you from easy to professional:
- The easiest is always, putting a sign in your yard. Stating your light show playtime, FM frequency, etc.
- Let your friends, neighbors, and work buddies know about your display time
- Put your show online through social media, facebook, Instagram, etc. Make sure you put your light show location, broadcasting time and keyword search into the video titles (SEO)
- Build a website, do SEO. Make it a family tradition.
- Go into competitions.
Such as “The Great Christmas Light Fight”
Again, inform your neighbors that you are publicizing your display. They’ll be much more accommodating if they know your plan to attract attention from around the neighborhood.
Finally, Enjoy your work and holidays!!
Additional Tips
- Try to manage your time. Setting up a light show is time-consuming. To manage things effectively, try to research all kinds of information online and manage the time well. Check each light strings before you set up the display as well.
- Be careful with the electronics. Make sure you research the information regards to electronic works. You may watch some YouTube tutorials for a step by step guide.
- Check out the free forums. If you plan to make it a big show, try to join the community and check out other peoples design and ideas.
- Talk to neighbors, police, and your homeowner’s association about possible issues with traffic flow, noise, etc.
It is much easier to prevent problems than to correct them. However, make sure they understand that there might be problems, not that there will be problems. People need to know what to expect, but don’t stress things so that they shut you down before you even start up your display! - FPGAs make fantastic custom control devices, which can hook between an RS232 connection on a PC and a relay board for the lights. An entry-level Spartan 3e Xilinx demo board is around $150.
- Safety is always the number one rule. If your neighborhood has a lot of pets and kids, make sure your set is kids and pet-friendly to avoid any injuries.
How to Sync Your Christmas Lights to Music
With our expert's advice, your holiday display will embody the sights and sounds of the season.
Nashia Baker, Associate Digital Editor at Martha Stewart
By Nashia Baker November 05, 2020
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team.
If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Christmas home with festive holiday lighting and snow
Credit: James Brey / Getty Images
When Christmas nears each year, those ready to celebrate begin to decorate their homes—especially in lights. "Lighting is a game-changer when it comes to the aesthetic of your home, and Christmas lights are no different," says Caroline Harmon, Lowe's trend and style expert. "Adding a touch of string lights to your home will brighten your space and make it feel cozier." And one way to add even more of a memorable touch to your décor is by synchronizing your Christmas lights to festive music for the holidays—whether you decide to have an indoor or outdoor display. Ahead, we asked an expert for his insight into making your music and light show come together in perfect harmony.
Set up a light system with software.
According to Gary McCoy—a Lowe's store manager in Charlotte, North Carolina—the first step when planning your holiday light show is to decide how you want to show the lights themselves: either in a small area inside your home or on your house's façade.
"The light show will ultimately be controlled in channels, which is a unit of lights that can be controlled individually, so keep this in mind as you plan the scope of your show," he explains. "If this is your first show, 30 to 60 channels are a good size to start considering the many steps it takes to initiate setup."
Next, make sure to stock up on lights, McCoy notes—whether you go with classic lights or ones that vary in color and size is entirely up to you. After this, you will need a control system to bring everything together and run the effects and colors, like the Gemmy Orchestra of Lights ($19.98, lowes.com). "There are also fully built systems, light kits, and DIY systems that you can consider to control your light show," he adds. "Depending on what system you choose, you will need to identify a compatible software program (you can download this from an app store) as a part of the control system to help you control the music and coordinate your light show.
" After you've chosen your control system and software program, you now get to pick out the music and how you want the lights to respond to the tunes. McCoy does suggest giving yourself time (about a few weeks) to get this step down as the programming alone can be time-consuming.
Stay safe when syncing.
While creating a light show is a fun process, don't forget your safety when putting this all together. McCoy advises to check for broken lights or any damage from the weather each morning. "This will keep your display fully operational and [will help you] avoid any hazards that could result from broken lights or exposed electrical wires," the expert adds. "Additionally, when setting up your outdoor display, make sure your home has enough outside power to run your lights—a typical mini light strand will draw about 1/3 amp." Even though outdoor lights can generally be left on 24/7 and have an average lifespan of 1,000 hours—McCoy recommends consulting with a professional if you aren't sure if your home has enough outside power for a long-term light and music display.
"As a starting point, understanding the amperage allowed for your breaker will provide insight into how much power the unit can handle," he shares. "But keep in mind that it's important to understand if the breaker is powering anything additional in your home, which is where an electrician can support."
Keep lighting festive.
As the holidays are filled with cheer, this time could be perfect to personalize and dress up your home to speak to the season. "While classic holiday string lights are a go-to option, icicle lights—like the GE StayBright White Mini LED Plug-In Christmas Icicle Lights ($14.98, lowes.com)—are a fun way to brighten up a wall or add curb appeal to your front porch," Harmon shares. She adds that rope lights—such as the GE StayBright Multicolor Integrated LED Plug-In Christmas Rope Lights ($29.98, lowes.com)—are also great for the outdoors since they can move and extend to shape of your display. To give even more of a festive feel to your lights, Harmon recommends connecting your music to a music conductor speaker—like the Sonos One SL speaker ($179, amazon.
com).
Lastly, you should also keep courtesy at the forefront with your entire musical light display since you and your neighbors are likely spending more time at home than usual. "The best way to give passersby the opportunity to listen to your coordinated light show is by broadcasting over an FM frequency," McCoy says, "instead of playing the music out loud in your yard on repeat."
Games for the New Year corporate party
We offer you specific gaming techniques that will help revive a corporate event, giving it a festive New Year's mood. We talk about them ahead of time so you can take them into account when planning this important team building event: replace the pompous and more expensive forms of its celebration with cheaper and more fun ones. We wish you a creative New Year!
It would seem that autumn is in the yard, but many companies are already thinking about how to celebrate the New Year. Corporations are different.
You can rent a cafe or restaurant and have fun on New Year's Eve, like a wedding, with toasts, dancing and a sore head the next morning. You can order something fashionable for the company: a friendly passage of a quest, a game of paintball or laser tag, or even a friendly ski race. In the latter case, of course, it is important that the weather allows it. If the weather does not please with snow and frost, then it is always possible to come up with other healthy lifestyle activities: swimming, running or going on a tourist walk.
In any of these events, it is not so much the type of celebration itself that is important, but the appropriate surroundings: running and questing is supposed to be in the costumes of Santa Claus, the Snow Maiden, bunnies, squirrels, Baba Yaga, instead of a relay baton, use champagne, and give bouquets from sparklers.
One way or another, the corporate New Year is always a kind of team building, an additional opportunity to unite people. And if so, then another option for holding this holiday is a full-fledged training.
The advantage is that in the training you can combine many elements, assembling it like a puzzle. Training can take place in nature, during a tourist trip, during any healthy lifestyle event. You can just hold it in the office or even in the banquet hall.
Ideally, a business trainer should be invited to conduct the training, although many companies have their own full-time specialists. In the case of an invited specialist, request a detailed training program. You should also be interested in his experience, a general understanding of his profile, the availability of recommendations or confirmation of the conduct of training corporate programs. But even this is not the most important thing. The trainer to whom you entrust the conduct of a corporate New Year's training should, first of all, be cheerful and sociable, able to create a positive and driving mood in the team. In this case, this is the main measure of compliance, because many business coaches work in a dry and pathetic manner, or in a tough and demanding manner, which is completely unsuitable for a New Year's corporate party.
Lightness, pleasantness, openness and groovy character are important. Therefore, it is good if the coach has experience in organizing any mass events.
The peculiarity of the New Year's training itself is its type of conduct. As a rule, such a program is completely based on game techniques (and in simple layman's terms, the training consists of various games). But each training game must necessarily carry an element of self-knowledge, acquisition of new knowledge and skills, emancipation of consciousness, meet the task of team building. And besides, be tied thematically to the New Year.
Let's tell you about the game techniques that we use with great success in our training activities. After reading the article, you can even use these practices yourself at your New Year's training holiday, especially if you want not to hire a business coach, but simply include the proposed elements in your celebration.
Related material
Corporate online is also possible
No.
12 / 2020
Santa Claus and the Martians
What you will need: multi-colored markers or felt-tip pens, paper sheets, children's toys in the form of flashing and shooting machine guns and blasters.
What the game develops: non-verbal communication, sociability, the ability to use symbols.
The game "Santa Claus and the Martians" is a training version of the well-known "Crocodile". Those present are divided into 2 groups. One group is representatives of Santa Claus (that is, Grandfather himself, the Snow Maiden and the inhabitants of the forest, magical animals). The second group is the Martians who arrived on Earth on New Year's Eve.
The rules of the game are explained to the teams. The Martians do not understand a single human word, they also do not know the letters, moreover, the very sound of the voice is so vile and unpleasant for them that it immediately causes aggression, and the Martians begin to shoot from space blasters to kill.
But at the same time, they understand well the generally accepted symbols and distinguish colors other than black.
Father Frost's team must meet the Martian team on Earth and convey a certain message, respectively, without using words and sounds. You can jump, dance, use gestures, draw color pictures on whatman paper (without letters, words and numbers).
Next, the Martian team is temporarily removed from the training room.
Father Frost's team receives a task - a speech to convey to the aliens. The approximate content of the “speech” may be: “Dear Martians, we are glad to welcome you to our planet. Let me introduce myself: this is Santa Claus, he is the main winter hero, this is the Snow Maiden, this is a bunny, this is a squirrel, these are gnomes. Tonight is the New Year's Eve. A bear-drawn sleigh is already waiting for us, come with us to Red Square in Moscow, watch the fireworks, present gifts to all the children, and then we will introduce you to the President of our country, you will drink champagne together, after which we will take you to the cosmodrome, from where you you can fly to your Red Planet and tell there what a great New Year is in Russia!”
The message must be long enough and catchy, then everyone will be fun and funny.
You can come up with your own version of the speech. The facilitator speaks (or reads) the text to the participants. For simplicity, the text can be printed out and handed over to the Santa Claus team, although we do not do this in our practice, because a much greater team building effect is achieved if all participants remind each other of the forgotten parts of the message. The team is given 15 minutes to sketch the message and assign roles.
"Martians" are launched into the room. Santa Claus team meets them. According to the rules of the game, the Martians can use words to clarify what the meeting party is showing. But if someone from the Santa Claus team uses words or makes sounds, the Martians immediately become furious and fire blasters in unison.
After the message is solved, it makes sense to swap the commands. The message, of course, needs to be given a new one. For example: “Hello Martians! I am Santa Claus, and these are my helpers - deer, bear, beaver, fox, wolf! And beloved granddaughter Snegurochka.
Even today Kashchei the Deathless and Kikimora are with us. We are glad to see you in our forest on a magical New Year's Eve. Help us to cover everything with snow, light New Year's lights, pack gifts. We will give you some of the gifts, and you can take them to your planet to your Martian children. And if you allow me to use your flying saucer, then we could all fly to Moscow on it and look at the country's main Christmas tree. After that, you will fly home with gifts!
100 ways
What you need: sheets of regular office paper or thicker, for example, for sketching; ballpoint pens.
What the game develops: creative thinking, ability to work in a team.
For this game, you need to prepare leaflets with words in advance so that the team can “pull out” a word for themselves (1 sheet - 1 word). We select the words for the New Year theme, for example: Christmas tree, Santa Claus hat, Olivier salad, snow, Christmas ball, Bengal fire, etc.
The host divides all those present into teams of 3-4 people. Each team draws out a word to work with and receives a piece of drawing paper.
The task is as follows: you need to come up with 100 ways to use this item for other than its intended purpose. It usually takes about 20 minutes to complete. Then the received methods are read out. The game perfectly develops creativity of thinking, and gives a lot of fun. The team that comes up with the most uses for their item wins. Additionally, you can award a People's Choice Award for the use case that caused the most laughter.
Get to the gift
What you need: a bag with small souvenir gifts.
What the game develops: creative thinking, team spirit.
In the room you need to designate the place of start and finish (at opposite ends of the room). At the finish line, the host puts a bag with gifts. The team is invited to get to the gifts of Santa Claus. You can do this by any means, but there are strict prohibitions:
- Do not touch the floor with your feet.
- You can not use the same method of movement from the starting point to the bag of gifts. Thus, each player or pair of players must come up with a new way to move.
If many people take part in the game, then you can allow to repeat the invented method of movement, but not more than once or twice.
The game perfectly develops team thinking and group work, because alone, as a rule, it is difficult, if not impossible, to come up with new ways of transportation. In a team, participants can carry each other in their arms, help use chairs, tie books to the soles of shoes, and use other creative ways.
Labyrinth
What you will need: chairs (5-6 pieces), a thick scarf for blindfolding.
What the game develops: introspection.
One daredevil is selected.
The host asks him to leave the room. The rest of the participants are explained the task:
- It is necessary to make a labyrinth of chairs, which the “dared man” will have to go through with his eyes closed, without hitting a single chair. At first, he can even practice with his eyes open, count the steps, and at this stage the group should actively help him with advice on how best to overcome obstacles.
- However, when the “dared man” goes blindfolded through the labyrinth, the group must not only shout to him, orienting him in space, “right or left”, but also distract him in every possible way with noise - clapping, stomping and shouting so that he does not notice how the team removes all obstacles from his path - the chairs that make up the maze (it is advisable to appoint a "responsible" for each chair in order to do this quickly and quietly).
After the group has mastered the rules, a "dared man" is invited to the hall. He receives the task to go through the "maze" blindfolded. Previously, he can go through it three times with his eyes open for training. About the fact that the group will interfere with him and make noise when he goes blindly, he is also warned. So, the training is over, the eyes are blindfolded, the command sounds: “To the start, attention, march!”
The group is making noise, clapping and stomping, prompting “left and right” and removing the chairs!
When the passage is completed, the "dared man" is removed from the bandage. He sees that there are no chairs. The facilitator asks: “Was it difficult to pass the obstacles?” The player, of course, replies no, because the chairs have been removed.
The facilitator asks: “What are the versions of the participants, why this game?” He listens to their options and summarizes: “Often in life, we ourselves come up with obstacles for ourselves, ask for advice for a long time, rehearse the passage of the “maze” inside ourselves, but when it comes to real actions, it turns out that there may not be any obstacles or they are completely different place. Always go only with open eyes and be guided by the present moment, and not by someone who once had “chairs”! When you have a difficult decision or action in life, remember this “maze” and open your eyes!”
If I were a book about the New Year
What you need: sheets of paper, colored markers, staplers or glue.
What the game develops: creative thinking, introspection.
Each participant is invited to become their own author and publisher. For this, colored felt-tip pens and paper, a stapler or glue are issued, with which you need to “fold” the book: draw a cover, write the title of the book itself and its chapters, write the first lines, etc.
At the same time, participants can be guided - guided by the following questions:
- What is shown on the cover?
- What are the first lines of the book about?
- What genre does the book belong to (comedy, drama, detective story, science fiction, thriller, report from the scene)?
- How do you feel about this genre?
- Are there many chapters in the book? Name some of them.
- Are there chapters in the book that are difficult to read?
- Are there any pages that you would like to rewrite?
- Do you think people will want to read this book? Can it become a bestseller? Why?
- Into whose hands would you like to give this book? How do you imagine the reader of this book?
- What do you think he will say when he reads this book?
- How would you run an advertising campaign to sell a book?
After the "books" are created, each participant will present his creation to all participants.
All presentations end with a group discussion. The questions for discussion are:
- What do you think of the books presented?
- Which ones would you like to put on your bookshelf, read?
- What unites all the books presented today?
This game helps a person to ask questions about himself, his life, his role in society.
On the eve of the New Year, these are exactly the questions that come to the fore, because the New Year is always a kind of summing up of intermediate results.
What is happiness?
Items needed: sheets of paper, colored markers.
What the game develops: team spirit.
Each training participant receives a sheet of paper and markers. The task is as follows: “Draw happiness!”
After the happiness is drawn, the participants talk about their drawings by showing them and share their happiness with the team. That is, the message sounds like this: “Tell what you drew and share happiness with everyone present!”
Little Red Riding Hood
What the game develops: creativity.
This game does not require any equipment. The host asks: “Who can retell the plot of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”? Nothing complicated? But we have one limitation! The tale must be retold without using the letter “l”.
The first player starts the story and continues until the “forbidden letter” is spoken. The next participant starts the story from the beginning. And so on".
You can, of course, ask, what word can replace one of the main characters - the Wolf? That is the meaning of the creative task. For example, you can say "gray predator".
The game is fun and well develops creative thinking.
Letter to Santa Claus
What you need: sheets of paper, colored markers.
What the game develops: goal setting.
Children usually write letters to Santa Claus, but as practice shows, this occupation also gives adults great pleasure.
During the game, the host invites each participant to write a letter to Santa Claus, first thanking him for the events that took place in the past year (you need not just write “thank you”, but list them in detail), and then write down your expectations for the coming year (and both in the professional sphere and in the personal one): what would you like to achieve, what knowledge and other benefits to get, where to go, what to wish the management, colleagues, friends, your soul mates and children.
The received letters of happiness can be... not read out! And leave it to the participants of the training, the leader summarizes: “Hide these letters until the next New Year, and exactly in a year see what your wishes were fulfilled by Grandfather Frost!”
And the last task game, which we highly recommend to play before the New Year:
100 wishes
What you will need for the game: sheets of paper, felt-tip pens or pens.
Each participant of the training is asked to write down 100 wishes on paper. It can be anything: things; places you want to visit; something for self-development, etc. But the list should concern only oneself personally, “peace-peace” and “health for the whole family” will not work here, the list should come out as selfish as possible. You don't need to sign it.
Then, with the completed sheets, you can do the same as in the game "Letter to Santa Claus" - do not collect them from the participants, but wish them to read their letters at the end of next year with gratitude for everything that Santa Claus has done.
But you can do something else: collect unsigned sheets with wishes, mix them up. And how in a lottery to let everyone present pull out a leaf. When everyone has 100 wishes for the new year 2017 in their hands, you can start reading them (not out loud, of course, but everyone will read sincere and unexpected wishes to themselves and smile :)
For example, if an employee of pre-retirement age comes across the wishes of an energetic youth, he will at least remember his youth and see what has already been realized in his life. If the opposite happens, then the boy will be able to see life through the eyes of a mature man, his values - and this will also be useful, informative.
Wishing for a miracle catch, mastering extreme driving and the dream of finally growing a beard can amuse a girl, and a Louis Vuitton bag or an anti-cellulite massager can amuse a man. Of course, this can tell the recipients of the messages what they can give their soulmates for the New Year.
However, if you do not want "male wishes" to fall into women's hands, and women's into men's, then you can collect wish lists in 2 piles (or 2 bags of the appropriate colors - blue and pink). And then, having mixed the sheets inside each of them, let the ladies pull out, respectively, from the “pink”, and the gentlemen - from the “blue”.
To make wishes easier to read and perceive in the right way, you can make blanks in advance to be filled in by the participants of the game:
- at the top put the heading "Wishing my beloved for 2017!",
- followed by 100 numbered lines.
But you can also simply ask those present to arrange their creations in this way at the very beginning of the game. Field drawings are welcome!
As you can see, there are a lot of game technicians to create a merry New Year's mood! And regardless of the type of feast (in your office with sandwiches and pizza or in a restaurant), you will be provided with a holiday.
You can choose several games by playing the first one on an empty or slightly full stomach. Preparation for the New Year's corporate party begins in advance, and you still have time to make your creative contribution to it, using the ideas we have proposed. Remember - creative energetic employees with tact and a sense of proportion are noticed and appreciated.
It should be noted that within the framework of the training, it is good to combine game techniques with theoretical blocks or information inserts. But the theory must somehow be connected with the tasks that are given in the games. For example, before playing Martian, it is very good to explain what infographics are, how a person perceives symbols, and the suggestion to use colored markers when compiling reports, and tables and graphs when compiling presentations.
The game about the book perfectly complements the acquaintance between departments , because often in large companies the staff of different departments do not even know each other.
Thanks to game technology, people are remembered by "content" and "cover", and this is much more interesting than a performance by a "dry" position.
If the climate in the company is not very warm , then the game "What is happiness" is just perfect. At the same time, happiness can not only be drawn and given, it can be danced (here is a dance break for you), while inviting the one with whom you want to share happiness with, and sing, and cut out of paper. As material for clippings, you can use printed documents that have caused the most negativity in the team in recent months (for example, explanatory and memos, controversial contracts). Thus, stress will be removed and left in the outgoing year.
In general, if you decide not to hire a business coach to organize such a training, it would be correct to distribute the games between departments or initiative groups (but do not show the full scenario to anyone except the organizers). Theoretical blocks can be given to the heads of departments for training.
The most successful theory for the new year is goal-setting, time management, self-management techniques. To prepare such a small theoretical block of advice, it is enough to use popular business books, articles from our magazine, and even better, share your own experience. By alternating such blocks with the game, you will make the corporate party fun and very useful. And the more employees will participate in the preparation of events, the greater will be the involvement and interest of the team. And again, the effect of team building is obvious!
It is good to combine the moment of presenting small gifts with the game "Get to the gift", so the value of an ordinary souvenir will increase significantly. The game can also be played outdoors e, so it will be even more fun.
But the game "100 Wishes" would be just fine to combine with writing on a large poster (which must be attached to the wall in advance) wishes for your company . However, short phrases like "good luck" are not accepted.
You need to write specific and clear wishes. It is better to write with colored felt-tip pens, beautifully and supplementing with small drawings.
Another technique that is good to complement a corporate party is writing the first step after the New Year . On a separate sheet, each employee writes with felt-tip pens “On the first working day after the New Year, I will do ...” The sheet must be left on your desk. And the new working year will begin with a memory of a fun and exciting farewell to the past year, which means with a smile and a positive attitude!
New Year's Concerts 2021 | Togliatti Philharmonic
No matter how difficult this year may be, the New Year holidays are just around the corner. Music will help to create an atmosphere, cheer up, restore strength for both adults and children. The Togliatti Philharmonic has prepared 11 New Year's programs for you.
December 20 at 14.00 we invite you and your children to the musical "The Tale of the Pope and his worker Bald".
Pushkin's witty text, Russian folk songs, ditties, choruses, quadrilles and author's compositions on folk themes, but everything is fine and perky - it will be in the program. The fairy tale is read by Natalya Drozdova and Igor Suprunov, the music is performed by the Russian Orchestra conducted by Vasily Kormishin.
Tickets: from 200 ₽
December 22 at 15.00 in a virtual concert hall, a broadcast of a musical and literary program based on the play by Aleksnadr Ostrovsky "The Snow Maiden". The text is read by the Honored Artist of Russia Ekaterina Guseva, Pavel Lukoyanov plays the harp, the New Year mood is created by works by Grieg, Krasilnikov, Sviridov, Egorova and other composers performed by the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after N.P. Osipov, conductor - Evgeny Volchkov. Free admission. Registration required.
December 25, at 19.00 we invite you to a concert by Sergei Dudinsky and the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by chief conductor Alexei Verhoeven.
There will be hits of domestic and foreign pop music. The program is already on the site. And although it may change, it is not so important. Dudinsky knows how to present a work in such a way and communicate with the public in such a way that the audience enthusiastically accepts every song performed by him. And the fact that you liked his concert, we understand, seeing your shining eyes and hearing the feedback after his performance.
Tickets: from 450 ₽
December 26 at 18.00 a program of favorite arias from operettas and musicals, pop songs performed by soloists of the Moscow Operetta Theater Maxim Katyrev and Yulia Goncharova and the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. A harmonious couple on stage and in life, Maxim and Yulia will perform hits from the operettas Free Wind, The Circus Lights the Fires, The Pearl Seekers, arias and duets from the musical My Fair Lady, the operettas Silva, The Violet of Montmartre ”, films “Midshipmen, forward!”, “Spring”, etc.
Tickets: from 350 ₽
On December 27 at 14.00 we are waiting for children and adults to the Nutcracker program. Tchaikovsky's music for this ballet seems to be disassembled into quotes no less than The Irony of Fate, without it today it is impossible to imagine the expectation of the New Year! Therefore, of course, it is in our program. The fairy tale will be presented by People's Artist of Russia Natalya Drozdova, Igor Suprunov and the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by chief conductor Alexei Verkhoven.
Tickets: from 200 ₽
December 29 at 19.00 - "Snow Drive" - concert of the Jazz Orchestra conducted by Valery Murzov. . Jazz standards, songs from Broadway musicals, Hollywood and Russian films will give a wonderful holiday atmosphere.
Tickets: from 250 ₽ January 4 at 18.00 we invite you to a jazz party with Arsen Mukendi and My Baby's Blues Band. Arsen Mukendi is a creative and cheerful artist, a participant in the X-factor.
Main stage”, finalist of the project “Voice-8”. Charming and energetic, he knows how to create a cool atmosphere on stage, bring smiles to the faces of the audience and make them dance. Arsen teamed up with young musicians who called themselves My Baby's Blues Band - drums, bass guitar, guitar, trumpet, vocals. The team performs blues, soul and funk, rock and roll and rockabilly. In the mix of all these genres and the passion for powerful groove and drive, the unique sound of the My Baby's Blues Band is born! And this is a great option to extend the New Year's fun!
Tickets: from 400 ₽
On January 6 at 14.00 come to the Chamber Hall for the "Christmas Christmas time" if you want to know what words and songs to go caroling with and why it is important at this time of the year to wish everyone health and well-being. Members of the folk ensemble "Agoritsvet" will act out skits and sing traditional Christmas songs, carols, which from time immemorial in Rus' have accompanied Christmas events.
The festive concert will end with cheerful dancing.
Tickets: from 100 ₽
January 6 at 15.30 in the Virtual Concert Hall musical and literary composition "The Snow Queen". The text of the fairy tale by G. Kh. Andersen is read by theater and film actress Olga Budina. The music of Grieg, Verdi, Sibelius will be performed by the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan, conductor - Igor Manasherov. The concert is accompanied by video scenography.
Admission is free. Registration is here.
January 12 at 15.00 come to the virtual concert hall for the broadcast of the program "I remember the waltz, the sound is lovely." It includes waltzes by Shostakovich, Poulenc, Doga, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky, Andreev, as well as romances and instrumental fantasies. They will be performed by the National Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments named after N.P. Osipov under the direction of Vladimir Andropov, soloists: Elena Manistina (mezzo-soprano), Lidia Muzaleva (folk voice), Anastasia Chernovolos (soprano), Emil Kadyrov (baritone), Daria Rubtsova (folk voice).
