What Grammy-nominated singer Judy Pancoast's concert venues lack in million-dollar sound systems or plush seating, they make up for in lights.

Lots and lots of Christmas lights.

Pancoast is promoting her music by traveling the country to perform holiday tunes including her Internet hit "The House on Christmas Street" on lawns, in driveways and from front porches of fans' homes.

"It has been the experience of a lifetime," said the singer, 51, reached on the road between gigs in Pilot Mountain, N.C., and Conway, S.C. "It's just been nuts."

One of her fans, Winter Park's Bob Walker, couldn't wait to meet the singer, whose Grammy nomination is for a children's album she recorded. Pancoast gave a free concert at his home Thursday night.

Pancoast said crowds have ranged from the hundreds in warmer climes such as Texas to smaller numbers listening from the warmth of their cars in places where temperatures dipped below freezing.

A songwriter since age 15, Pancoast is based in Goffstown, N.H., and specializes in children's music: songs such as "Swimming in Jello" and "The Potty Dance."

'The House on Christmas Street'

She wrote "The House on Christmas Street" in 1998 as a tribute to homeowners such as Walker, who provide holiday cheer to their neighbors with elaborate Christmas displays.

"Everywhere I've lived there's been one of those houses," Pancoast said. "I can remember going to see them."

Despite years of trying, Pancoast hasn't made many inroads with radio stations. But people found the song online. A search on YouTube, the video-sharing site, turns up multiple displays playing the tune with combined viewings numbering more than 100,000.

Walker found the song and arranged Pancoast's concert through a website (planetchristmas.com) that gives tips on planning outdoor light displays.

Pancoast had known that homeowners liked to play the song, which describes a decorated house in detail, with their own displays. Her husband first found an online video of a home using the tune in 2006.

"I still haven't managed to find that first homeowner," Pancoast said. "That's the big mystery."

So this year she posted at the decorating-advice website, asking if anyone would like to host her for a concert. She found plenty of takers and set off on a 22-city trek.

It's not a luxury tour. She's driving herself in a 2004 van with more than 350,000 miles on the odometer. Harder still, she has left her husband and teenage daughter for a month. ""We're in constant communication," she says, "but it's not the same as hugging."

Her family, including her college-age daughter, will fly here for Christmas. "We're all going to Universal," Pancoast said. "We're h-u-u-u-ge Harry Potter fans."

Weather hazard: Snowed out!

Pancoast isn't paid for the gigs, though her children's and holiday CDs will be available to purchase. She had three conditions for the concerts: That homeowners organize a charitable collection, handle publicity and provide a hotel room. "I told them 'nothing fancy,'" she said.

Touring in this grass-roots way has its ups: A British couple flew her to the English town of Wells for the first night of their display. And it has had its downs: A planned concert in Minnesota had to be canceled because of heavy snow.

"The roads were closed," Pancoast said, laughing. "You couldn't even get in the state."