Christmas Lights

Tom · December 20, 2007, 11:31:35 PM

It's always a special evening when Gael and I go to see the lights and decorations that people have put up on their houses. There are streets of lights. Some streets are loaded, with every house lit to the top.

We couldn't find any. Jacksonville was dark. Well, there were a few, I don't mean to make it sound any more dismal than it was, but hardly anyone was decorating this year. We sure were disappointed. :-\

And then it rained.

WDH · December 20, 2007, 11:43:59 PM

Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave Shepard · December 20, 2007, 11:47:05 PM

I haven't seen much at all for Christmas lights this year. Maybe a few houses with candles in the windows. There was a big stink in one of the papers about Christmas lights in town. I think any group of people should be able to be festive in their own manner, whatever it is.

Dave

Tom · December 20, 2007, 11:50:17 PM

Yep, the festivities are being drowned by the politically correct bunch.

The rain is good. I especially like it this evening with the street lights shining in the drops. I would have figured it would make it as far north as you, WDH.

Dave Shepard · December 20, 2007, 11:52:57 PM

It's a toasty 34° here, so we might even be getting some rain soon too. Be slip-sliding around for sure if we do.

Dave

Roxie · December 21, 2007, 04:10:19 AM

We've got our lights out, and our area has lots of houses all decked out. Tom, it's too bad you don't live in our area, because even if the homeowners dissapoint, Longwood Gardens puts on a display that takes your breath away. You don't have to enter the Gardens to appreciate it either, they decorate enormous pines right along Route 1. The Herr's Potato Chip Factory has a free display too. It get's bigger every year.

I've noticed that lately a lot of folks say "Have a Nice Holiday" but I just look em in the eye and say, "Merry Christmas!"

SwampDonkey · December 21, 2007, 08:05:33 AM

Up on my end of the community, my cousin is the only one with lights up. He has a couple young ones and he has a Christmas tree business, so he decorates the yard like Santa's workshop. We have some folks that don't use lights, but they decorate trees the traditional way. Then there are older folks and some of us without family that don't bother. I know in my area it has nothing to do with politics at all and has more to do with the family unit with some Christmas spirit stirred in there somewhere. ;)

Jeff · December 21, 2007, 08:08:07 AM

Tom they also being drowned by economics. We didn't have lights this year for the first time in over 20 years. It had nothing to do with political correctness on our part.

Furby · December 21, 2007, 08:18:25 AM

Economics is a big reason I never started them here, and also why we stopped most of them at my parents.
Besides the trouble involved with the whole deal.
You don't have to try and recover them from the ice and snow Tom, or replace all the damaged stuff if they get torn apart by the ice and snow.
Besides, the electric company just rasied their rates yet again. :

sawguy21 · December 21, 2007, 09:51:17 AM

Lots of houses decorated here, even my Sikh landlord put some up. Some people are really going all out but the yard ornaments keep disappearing >:(.

Jeff · December 21, 2007, 10:40:44 AM

Last year the neighbor very peaved at someone since they never caught the person doing it. There was no snow so no tracks. ;D

They had two of those wired framed deer with lights. The doe was animated so the head would turn. The buck was stationary. They kept finding them re-arranged in the morning. I guess someone was trying to get a fawn for the grouping.

Furby · December 21, 2007, 10:45:54 AM

Gee, wonder who would do something like that! :

That where your "little" doe cam from ??? ;)

Jeff · December 21, 2007, 10:46:56 AM

Quote from: Furby on December 21, 2007, 10:45:54 AM
Gee, wonder who would do something like that! :

That where your "little" doe cam from ??? ;)

Hey! May be... :D

Radar67 · December 21, 2007, 10:49:10 AM

My Step-Dad only put up half as many lights this year, due mainly to economics. He usually strings up 12-15 thousand.

Kas · December 21, 2007, 10:53:13 AM

Well, I tried very hard to minimize the amount put up this year, but seems between the kids and the wife more kept appearing every day. Even tried hiding the extension cords, they just bought more. I am not winning this one, but then I'm not fighting it much either.

Just east of the St Louis area we have Our Lady Of The Snows Shrine that put up a drive thru display every year, this year they have over 3 million lights up. Very beautiful.

Tom · December 21, 2007, 11:06:51 AM

We've got tree ornaments hanging in the trees from the hard-road to the house (about 1/2 mile) and Christmassy stuff all over the house and front yard. Nobody out here in the woods to see it but us though.

The neighbors brought their little kids 3, 5 and 7 and they enjoyed it. Made our day.

Jeff · December 21, 2007, 11:08:51 AM

Did Gael ever get the egg down? ;D

Tom · December 21, 2007, 11:24:11 AM

yes. It took her a good long time because she was enjoying it.

gharlan · December 21, 2007, 11:36:11 AM

No lights for me this year. Something about my attempting to put them up two weeks ago, me on a ladder, cell ringing, me answering, a sudden stop, a dislocated shoulder. Those are expensive lights that I do not have up this year.

Tom · December 21, 2007, 11:43:50 AM

sorry about that gharlon. Least your heart was in the right place..

I hope you are quick to heal and that the mishap doesn't impede your enjoyment of Christmas.

Patty · December 21, 2007, 12:39:36 PM

We have our lights up shining brightly down at the end of our lane.

I hung a lighted wreath in the big window in the dining room this year, it is so pretty. We did our annual Christmas tree trek and last weekend the beautiful tree went up. I settled for a 10 footer this year since a blizzard was bearing down on us when we went to cut the tree, so the search was short & sweet. The tree is beautiful in all its splendor, especially with presents starting to gather beneath it.

Merry Christmas everybody!

thecfarm · December 21, 2007, 12:46:58 PM

Ours are up.What makes it's so great is we can go up on the next hill and see the lights.We always have to take a ride up there the first night to check them out.I really can't tell if less are putting up lights or not.Looks about the same to me.Merry Christmas.

Ron Wenrich · December 21, 2007, 04:17:53 PM

I've never put any up, due to the distance from the road. Like Tom, nobody to see it but me. But, I've seen plenty in the area. It doesn't seem to be any drop off. But, the electric rates aren't supposed to go up until next year.

I live on the outskirts of a small town that has lots of old time traditions. On Thanksgiving weekend, they put lights on all the telephone poles on the main street. They are big snowflakes. At the square, someone always donates a big tree and it gets decorated.

Usually, about the week after Thanksgiving, they have the tree lighting. The Jonestown Mens Chorus is on hand to sing all types of Christmas songs. About a hundred people or so come out to sing along and watch the lighting. We even had a touch of snow in the air this year. Its about the only time you get to see the mayor (when we have one ;D).

SwampDonkey · December 21, 2007, 04:25:56 PM

Sounds just like what goes on in the little rural towns around here Ron. ;)

Someone must have a patent on those snow flakes and canes. :D :D

Warbird · December 21, 2007, 06:28:17 PM

The Mrs & I also like to go out and view Christmas lights around the town on Christmas Eve. Kind of a tradition now, one her family used to do when she was a kid.

Dave Shepard · December 21, 2007, 06:43:01 PM

I guess the ruckus in town was bigger than I thought. According to the paper, it made national news with Bill Reilly (or is that O'reilly, I don't watch TV. :

)

Dave

Roxie · December 22, 2007, 12:54:35 PM

Tom, when I read your opening post on this thread a few days ago, I was hoping that I could do something to bring the lights to you. Each year, Cowboy Bob's cousin, Kenny, puts up a light display at his farm that, I swear, you can see for miles. Each year, his decorated farm and house makes the front page of the Lancaster Farmer Newspaper.

If you click the link, it will take you to Cowboy Bob's cousins farm in Elizabethtown, PA.

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/

Merry Christmas!

Dave Shepard · December 22, 2007, 01:42:18 PM

Roxie, we should get a chance to see that. Our Lancaster has been coming several weeks late, and usually only the front page gets here. >:( Lancaster is going to get after USPS as it is happening a lot.

Dave

sawguy21 · December 22, 2007, 01:46:07 PM

Roxie, that is unbelievable. How long does he take setting it up?

Tom · December 22, 2007, 02:52:55 PM

That is beautiful. He's made a lot of people happy with that sight.

I'm sure the expense has curtailed a lot of it down here, but we have a lot of grinch's too. First the complaints are about the sight of the lawns in the gated communities during the day when the lights are out, then complaints of the traffic of people coming to look, then the greenies complaining of the waste of the electricity and then the newspapers pick it up and the TV picks it up and folks get so tired of the grief that they quit.

It seems that nothing ever comes good of people minding other people's business, does it.

We found one street on the Northside, night before last, that was lit brightly from one end to the other. There's santa's and sleigh's and lit trees and houses and trucks and motorcycles and deer and lights even hung on the flag pole with Old Glory flying on top and the stars and bars flying below. Doctors and Lawyers you think? No, it's a street full of mobile homes. In the daytime you find that the trucks, motorcycles and such are yard art and the lawns are full of kids toys that haven't been put up. It's just plumb wonderful that these families are providing us with such intertainment as the decorations. You have to know that their salary is probably not covering the electric bill. Their kids will remember it though. And, so will I.

sawguy21 · December 22, 2007, 04:44:23 PM

Edmonton Alberta has Candy Cane Lane. The whole neighborhood gets into it and the displays are outstanding, one had Santa in a bright red Corvette being pulled by
reindeer 8). Of course the grinches complain about the traffic congestion and waste of energy. Unfortunately, it has shrunk because of the cost and the hassles.

Roxie · December 22, 2007, 05:47:05 PM

Sawguy, the hired man and Kenny work on it over a three week period. They start with the tree on top of the silo, because that was the first decoration Kenny made. The rest just came along as the years went by.

Dave, if your Lancaster Farmer gets there, on page 4 they have a picture of Kenny standing in front of the decorated barn. He looks tired. :-\

It's a working dairy farm and the lights don't seem to bother the cows a bit.

Furby · December 22, 2007, 06:20:39 PM

Round here, if a neighborhood gets a display together, they charge for the privilege of seeing it. :

There's normally a big drive thru display at the ball park, but they charge as well. :

Tom · December 22, 2007, 06:56:50 PM

We haven't gotten that commercial around here yet. All it will take is a little time and someone will teach us though. There's been a lot of that sort of thing introduced in my lifetime. We would have never thought of it. We used to joke around about people charging for water and air.

I found this Free Air coming back from Sawlex in Ohio and stopped to get me some. They charged for Dang near everything up there. I figured, if I missed this, I might not get more till I got back to Georgia.

Furby · December 22, 2007, 07:00:07 PM

Since you are still here, I see you were able to hold your breath long enough to to make it to Georgia.

Tom · December 22, 2007, 07:01:19 PM

I might not have made it without that infusion though. I was sure a lucky fellow that day. ;D

Furby · December 22, 2007, 07:02:29 PM

Yup! ;)
Did you mark it on your map in case you go through there again?

Tom · December 22, 2007, 07:03:32 PM

again??

SwampDonkey · December 22, 2007, 07:10:34 PM

;D

:D

I'm glad I am where I am. ;)

Furby · December 22, 2007, 07:15:06 PM

Ok, did ya mark it on your map so you can tell me where it's at?
I don't think I can hold my breath the whole way. :-\

trapper · December 22, 2007, 10:08:49 PM

Tom: went to see the wifes folks in Ocala at christmas a couple years ago. shure was strange to see all the christmas lights in the palm trees

SwampDonkey · December 23, 2007, 07:47:46 AM

We don't get those troubles here. Everyone has to work to keep warm and fed around here. ;D One advantage to living in an area where there aren't many folks that can afford to donate their time and money to environmentalism. Not much for celebrities, rich biologist/ecologists/chemists or rich politicians around here.

We just get silly bi-laws in some towns that prohibit the construction of low rental housing in up scale neighborhoods. Some people think they are up scale because they have a house they can't afford. ;)

Patty · December 23, 2007, 08:12:39 AM

The farm is beautiful Roxie! Thanks for sharing the photo.

We see that around here; out in the country folks enjoy a pretty Christmas scene...I love driving at night during the Christmas season, looking at all the pretty lights. My goal for this farm is too outline the house with lights and then maybe do the shop, and then the sawshed....

. We sit up on a hill, so you can see the place for miles, I think the lights would make it real pretty. When we built the place I was adamant that the brick layer leave places for outdoor receptacles for my Christmas lights. He did, so now the next step is to actually wire the receptacles and install the plug ins.....baby steps! ;)

asy · December 23, 2007, 08:45:54 AM

Where we used to live in Melbourne, there was a house a few blocks away that had SUCH a MAGNIFICENT Christmas display it was amazing. The council would close their street off, so that only residents would be allowed in, and council staff would take turns manning the barricades in the evening (it was only barricaded between about 5pm and 11pm)...

So everyone would park in the surrounding streets and walk in.

Then the local paper did a story on the house and the man who did the display. Apparently he'd retired so he spent the year making the bits of the display up and then put them up at the beginning of December. The paper also said that he was going to have to stop because the lights were costing something like $20,000 just for that month.

UNBELIEVABLY the Power company came to the party and SPONSORS him so that he pays no power bill in December. He does put up "Sponsored by Energex" signs all over the place, though...

I swear you can see the lights from blocks away. Magical display, though. I used to love taking the kids to see it when they were small.

There seem to be lots more around this year in our area.

asy :D

thecfarm · December 23, 2007, 10:41:10 AM

SwampDonkey,them people ain't dumb,they're in the warmer climates complaining about the lights and we're up here complaining about the cold.Good place for them.Bring the cold on.See,it's good for something besides keeping the bug population down.