Father-son duo battle it out for best Christmas lights

(WJBK) - A spirited, family showdown is happening in metro Detroit for the best Christmas light display. And it's old school versus new school. Dad is using incandescent bulbs, and his son is using LEDs.

Reid Brosko says, growing up, he remembers his dad would spend probably a week and a half stringing lights all over their house.

"I thought I'd carry on the tradition with my first house and try to one up him. He does his old school style with incandescents; I go new school with programmable LEDs," he says.

Reid's childhood home is nicknamed The Gingerbread House. His dad decorates the home so multi-colored bulbs line every peak and window, and red candy canes line the sidewalk and driveway.

"They're the old-fashioned lights; I'm the traditionalist," says Bob Brosko. "They're all 9 watt and 7 watt bulbs." Bob adds that, over the years, he's written himself an instruction book so setting them up is as easy as possible.

"There's 32 different strands. There's 18 separate circuits. I can only put 109 watt bulbs on one circuit," he says, so remembering how it all goes every year gets a little complicated.

Bob says their lighting displays aren't really competitive, because they're so different. "It's football and basketball," he says. "He's got the new technology; I can't compete."

Reid says his display runs off a laptop, and he has an FM transmitter hooked up to it. While you're driving by to see the lights, you can tune into 89.7 and hear the music that goes along with the display.

"I've got a little bit more on my side, now, with a little more modern take on the Christmas light display, and, also, it just feels good to beat him," Reid says, laughing.

"I can't compete. I can't even imagine how to program it," Bob says. "But - I have the wattage."

"You still can't beat the scale of his display, and the amount that he puts into it," Reid admits.

You can see their houses by watching the video in the video player above, or you can scroll through a gallery of photos here.

If you want to check out the lights in person, The Gingerbread House is on Riverside Drive in Beverly Hills, which is near 14 Mile and Southfield roads. Reid lives on Glenwood Road in Royal Oak, which is near Woodward Avenue and Webster Road.