"Wizards in Winter" is an instrumental track by

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to ...

, released on the 2004 album ''

The Lost Christmas Eve ''The Lost Christmas Eve'' is the fourth album by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It was released on October 12, 2004, and is the last album in their "Christmas trilogy", with '' Christmas Eve and Other Stories'' (1996) and '' The Christmas Attic' ...

''. A clip of the band playing the first few seconds of the piece was used in a commercial for its most recent concert tour, and the song is often used to open their live shows. Its musical style incorporates progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal, with influences from classical music.

Christmas lights phenomenon

During the 2004

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

season, electrical engineer

Carson Williams Carson Williams may refer to: * Carson Williams (electrical engineer), American noted for his light shows using Christmas lights * Carson Williams (baseball), American baseball player {{hndis, Williams, Carson ...

set up a Christmas light show in the front yard, driveway, windows, and roof of his house. It took him about two months and 16,000 lights. The lights were synchronized to the music, and the show was free for anyone passing by who tuned to a specific low-power FM frequency on their car radio. It is also available to download on iTunes as a music video. A still image of the light show serves as the cover art for the single. A three-minute video of the show playing circulated widely on the Internet, and also spawned many others who imitated the style of setting their Christmas lights to this and other songs. It was later adapted by

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the M ...

into a 30-second TV advertisement for

Miller Lite Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch's Bu ...

that aired on U.S. stations in late 2005. A similar animation was used in a commercial for the UK's National Lottery, although, according to a press release, the advertising campaign "was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO". No mention of Carson Williams' light show was made. The advert can be seen on the ''tellyads.com'' website. The piece is also used in

Jordan's Furniture Jordan's Furniture is an American furniture retailer in New England. There are currently seven retail locations—three in Massachusetts (Avon, Massachusetts, Avon, Natick, Massachusetts, Natick, and Reading, Massachusetts, Reading) and four in ot ...

's 2009 Christmas LITE (Laser Imagination Theater Experience) show. Tesla Motors have also used it in December 2015 in th
Merry Model X-Mas
teaser video for the

Tesla Model X The Tesla Model X is a Battery electric vehicle, battery electric Mid-size crossover SUV#Luxury, mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by Tesla, Inc. since 2015. Developed from the full-size car, full-sized sedan platform of the Tesla Model S, ...

, and in December 2016 activated the show in all customer cars. Disney used the piece for a segment of ''

World of Color ''World of Color'' is a nighttime show at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Conceived by Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars, Steve Davison, and designed by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, th ...

: Season of Light'', featuring

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

putting up his Christmas lights to the track.

Chart positions

References

External links

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Christmas lights synchronized to Wizards in Winter in Mason, OhioLotto advertisement very similar to the Christmas light show above
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wizards in Winter 2004 songs Rock instrumentals Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs Atlantic Records singles Lava Records singles