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Can a Christmas display go too far? Some residents in Kirkland think so and contacted the city.
A Kirkland resident got a warning from the City of Kirkland that could pull the plug on his Christmas display.
Tony Mish has 175,000 lights on his house and in his yard.
The lights change in time to music, original music Mish had specially created for his display.
His Seahawk-themed display is called "The Hawkhouse”—the Seahawk logo is mounted high on the roof.
"I never thought it would get this big, that this many people would want to come see it,” said Tony Mish.
The holiday display doesn't stop outside; there are displays inside too.
You can even have your picture taken with a Seahawk Santa.
Mish says expects as many as 200,000 visitors this year. The display is free, but he does collect food for HopeLink and forwards other donations to charities.
Neighbors complained to the City of Kirkland about the noise, traffic, and safety risk for pedestrians who walk to the house.
The Hawkhouse will be featured on a national Christmas lights show later this month, and neighbors worried that would bring even more traffic.
Mish got a warning letter from the city that he could be fined for not having the proper permits.
"It was pretty disheartening," said Mish. "I didn't realize you need a permit to have Christmas lights on your house, and if people want to come look at them, it's kind of silly to me."
He turned off the music and closed the inside display on Tuesday night to show the city he got the letter.
Wednesday afternoon he met with the city to figure out what kind of permits he would need.
The city has never seen anything quite like this, so it needs to work out what kind of permit would fit The Hawkhouse.
"It's a very popular, fantastic light show, but it does draw people far and wide. That does create some challenges for us to make sure that the public street is open and available for people and it's safe and the neighbor's concerns are properly addressed," said Michael Cogle, Deputy Director, Kirkland Parks and Community Services.
Mish said the city told him he could continue his light show Wednesday night.
He'll meet with the city again on Thursday.
He worries about the cost of an event permit that could require traffic control.
"If I can't get the permits basically I'll have to shut down and people won't get to enjoy it," said Mish.
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