For the past 15 years, Thomas and Kris Apruzzi have celebrated the holiday season with a spectacular Christmas lights display at their home in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Though the public can see the display for free, the Apruzzis have used the opportunity to raise more than $20,000 in donations for such good causes as Home for Our Troops and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

This year, the local government decided to get involved. The couple was informed they'd "be required to pay at least $2,000-a-day in police [security] and you're also going to have to pay for shuttle bus service for all of the people that are going to come to the display," Thomas tells the New York Post. Thomas says officials implicitly threatened to shut down the display if he and his wife didn't cooperate.