For many people, Christmas is one of the rare times when they can be with their loved ones. For Ken and Rebecca-Ellen Woods of Fairbanks, Alaska, it’s also an opportunity to connect with virtual visitors from all over the world. Since 2010, they’ve allowed people to control their home’s Christmas lights over the Internet.

Their website has a livestream from the webcam aimed at their house as well as links to toggle groups of lights on and off. Rebecca-Ellen arranges the lights while Ken handles the server that controls the flow of power to the lights. They started with only a single string of lights, adding more and more every year. One thing they took out? The lights inside their house. As you can imagine, having lights flickering at odd hours made it hard for the Woods family to sleep. Fortunately, they don’t have any nearby neighbors, so feel free to play with the switches for as long as you want.

Head to Woods family’s website to join the fun. They don’t charge anything, though they’d appreciate donations to offset their server costs. As of this writing there are 246 people operating the lights, so expect a brief delay before your input is executed. If you’re skeptical, you can send the family an email and they’ll let you have exclusive control of the Christmas tree’s lights for a bit.

[via Digital Trends]