Take a drive around the South Hills this holiday season, and you'll see that there are two schools of thought when decorating: less is more -- and more is more.

For Robert and Raquel Cox, of Baldwin Borough, it's "more" that lights up their lives. Their home, at 1736 Beryl Drive, is decorated with a dizzying display of more than 150,000 lights -- some 75,000 more than last year. The lights are synchronized to rapidly blink or "dance" in time with a variety of Christmas carols, which are heard all over the street.

The family's front yard goes from modest to over-the-top at this time of year, covered with lighted lawn ornaments, such as candy canes, reindeer, a Nativity scene, and a newly installed 30-foot tall lighted tree. The tree was built around a pole, cemented into the ground and installed with a lift.

Every inch of the house is covered with lights, powered by a 200-amp service panel. Last year's holiday electric bill was around $190, and could likely be over $300 this year, Mr. Cox said.

The display runs into a portion of the neighbor's yard, where 27 lighted inflatable lawn ornaments are clustered tightly together. A lighted sign at the curb solicits donations to Children's Hospital, an annual tradition that raises more than $1,000 each year.

Because the music is broadcast over a transmitter, drivers can tune their car radios to 88.7FM to hear the carols, as they cruise by to watch the light show.

The amount of work to create such an elaborate holiday display is massive, and is a yearlong effort.

"Coordinating the lights with one song takes about 80 hours," Mr. Cox said. "We have about 11 songs that cycle through.''

Of course, it's a little easier for him than it would be for most: He has a degree in computers and electronic engineering and works for Caltronics National in Scott. Mrs. Cox is a stay-at-home mom to two daughters, Alyvia, 3 ¹/₂ and Demitria, 1¹/₂.

Next month, when the rest of us are taking down holiday decorations, Mr. Cox will already be planning for next season.

He starts putting the lights up right after Labor Day. The display officially was officially plugged in Nov. 24 and will run through sometime in January.

Mr. Cox estimates that in peak season, between 70 and 100 cars a night drive through his cul-de-sac to see the display. The lights turn on at 5:30 each night, and stay lit until 11 p.m. on weekdays -- midnight on weekends.

But for those neighbors who prefer quieter Christmases, do all of the lights, noise, and traffic become a bother?

"I have heard of no complaints," said Tim Little, borough manager, although he said that traffic from such displays could become a problem.

Fred Kinder, borough building inspector, said that he has not received any calls.

"People complain a lot," he said, "but not about holiday displays."

On many nights, Mr. Cox stands outside, handing out candy canes and encouraging visitors not to block neighbors' driveways. Mr. Cox recalls one year when a police officer got stuck in the traffic, which had lined up to see the house.

But, "he was in the holiday mood" and didn't say anything, Mr. Cox said.

"We have not had one complaint," Mr. Cox said. "If we did, I would work with that person to address concerns."

Barbara Logan, a Mt. Lebanon council member for 12 years, said yard displays in the South Hills have gotten larger and more elaborate, and go up earlier in the year than they used to.

With very large displays that attract large numbers of visitors, traffic is always a concern, Ms. Logan admitted. Also, she said, it could be irritating to live near an unusually bright and noisy house.

Still it is the holidays and people hesitate to ''bah humbug'' their neighbors' displays, Ms. Logan said.

"They sometimes wait years to complain about an ongoing problem," she said. She also said that she could envision a time when local governments across the South Hills regulate extensive displays that draw crowds.

Steve Feller, the municipal manager for Mt. Lebanon, said that during Halloween or Christmas, residents occasionally call to complain about the aesthetics of neighbor's inflatable yard decoration. The township cannot do anything to address the residents' concerns, he said.

Mt. Lebanon, like other communities in the South Hills, does not have specific ordinances restricting holiday light and lawn displays. Most communities have ordinances that mandate that any item in residential yards--not just holiday displays--cannot obstruct motorists' views of intersections.

Also, most communities have noise ordinances, which could limit playing loud Christmas carols.

Local governments would walk a fine line in attempting to regulate residential holiday light and lawn displays, said Vic Walczak, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Walczak, a resident of Upper St. Clair, said that constitutional rights of expression extend to citizens' private property.

"Private property owners can display any message, including religious messages," he said. The courts, he said, strictly review any regulations that apply to holiday displays, since they derive from religious expression, which is protected under the Constitution.

"The government must be protecting a compelling interest, like safety," he said, "and it must use the least restrictive means possible to protect this interest."

If a local government, however, regulated all lawn displays and decorations to protect a public concern, such as traffic, then the standard under the law is more relaxed, he said. In other words, inflatable reindeer put up for the holidays would have to be treated the same as other decorations put in the yards for other occasions, like inflatable Steelers figures or garden gnomes.

As for the Cox house, "We plan to get even bigger next year," Mr. Cox said. "Once you start something like this, you can't stop, or you disappoint thousands of people who look forward to it."

For more on the Cox display, visit www.freewebs.com/oholylights/.