I know Christmas is over this year. The New Year is on it’s way. But I do LOVE Christmas lights! Who doesn’t love Christmas lights? Ok, maybe some folks don’t. All those lights do use a lot of electricity, it takes a lot of resources just to make those lights, you have to store them somewhere the rest of the year, not to mention putting them up and taking them down. I sure have put up my share of lights, and then packed them up afterwards.
But, hey, rather than do all that putting up and taking down myself, I found a great alternative … go see displays of lights that other people created! That’s exactly what two friends of mine and I did this season.
We jumped in the big white truck. We each had a great view as we drove through “Fantasy Lights“, a very impressive display of Christmas lights just south of Tacoma, WA. Click on that link to watch a brief video of the display.
Here are a few photos, some from the internet but some are photos that my friends took. It was fun. These photos show just a very small portion of the lights. It took us about 45 minutes to drive through the whole thing at a snail’s pace (I kept taking the truck out of gear rather than wear out the brakes).
There was pretty much every sort of theme you could imagine … boats and race cars and a golfer chipping a hole in one and seashore marine life and dragons and snow scenes. There was one amazing GIANT teddy bear that we all loved.
I hope you enjoy the following photos. And I hope every reader here has enjoyed this year’s Christmas season, in whatever fashion you celebrate it, or any other sort of celebration you have. I hope we all just celebrate … ourselves and each other and how much love there is in the world.
Here’s a link to one of my favorite Christmas songs when I was a child, A Holly Jolly Christmas. Turn your sound ON before you open it. You can start it playing, and then go back to this page and look at the photos.
The display above is an erupting volcano!!
Some of you will already know that the fellow above is a lumberjack rolling a log.
Santa and his airplane … the moving lights made the propeller spin nicely.
And if you need a few more jolly songs, here are more Christmas songs by Burl Ives that I hope you enjoy…..
And we can’t leave out Rudolph!
Blessings to each and every one!
I love Christmas lights too. We have a place to drive through, also, and the decorations and lights are amazing. (Las Vegas Speedway). I love looking at homes in town that are decorated. Beautiful time of the year.
Do you go out or stay home on New Years Eve? I am a stay at home gal. Our town is crowded with tourists coming to town to celebrate. Whatever you do, have a safe and happy new year.
I’m a stay-at-home too for New Years Eve. When I was younger, I’d go to parties but they weren’t really all that much fun … and you were expected to stay awake until midnight! sheesh! Happy New Year to you too Ginger.
Before selling our House our display was over Forty Thousand Lights. We’d look out from the darkened rooms to see families on the sidewalk pointing at the different themes. We’d also take nightly walks handing our Candy Canes to children and to see where repairs were needed (Dead Lights) the next day. Lots of memories. Now we enjoy other peoples displays.
Wishing you a Safe and Happy New Year.
It’s about time.
Holy smokes, 40,000 lights! I bet that took quite a bit of time to put all those lights up … and take them down. But I bet it felt good to see so many people enjoying them. Thanks Rick. Happy New Year to both of you too.
I love Christmas lights too! If I had my way they’d stay up and lit until spring. At least till the end of January. They help make the long dark nights so much better going through our never ending winter.
Yes exactly! In fact, my friends and I talked about how some places here had already taken down their lights the day after Christmas … and how wrong that was. When I was a kid, I think everyone left them up until the first weekend after January 1. I’m with you about leaving the lights up longer. They are so joyful and they make me smile. 🙂
The lights are wonderful! Thanks.
You are so welcome. I hope you sang along to the songs too. I think I heard you. 🙂 I sang along with the songs while I was composing this blog … I’d click a link to make sure it worked and then I’d sing along through each song. Took me forever to finish this blog post but I sure had a good time.
We sang! and we loved it. Thanks Ann. We’re in a small town in Montana and don’t have displays like that. Was a real treat.
I’m glad you liked that, and I swear I could hear you folks singing too. 🙂
The photos remind me of a classic Lite-Brite we used to have as children. Thanks for taking us along to see the displays!
Lite-Brite … I don’t know about Lite-Brite. But a little online research showed me exactly why kids might love them … or why adults might enjoy them. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that Robin. Makes me think about what toys I loved.
We had decided it seemed right to leave our lights up until January 6. Didn’t know why.
Next day, an elder where we live told me very authoritatively that one leaves them up until 6 January which is the start of Epiphany. (Epiphany in the Christian calendar is the Christian feast day when observers celebrate the visit to Jesus by the Magi – commonly known as the Three kings, or Wise Men.) . — I must have learned that somewhere in my church upbringing but had forgotten it.
Another authority (BBC News, January 6, 2017) wrote: ‘”The 17th Century English diarist Samuel Pepys held that 6 January marked the final day of celebrations. “This night making an end wholly of Christmas,” he wrote on 6 January 1663.) So it’s a very old tradition.
Best wishes for the New Year.
Heavens to betsy, I didn’t know any of that, Jan. That sure supports the idea that some of us here have about leaving the lights up until after January 1. Thank you for researching all of that. I think that makes Dawn and me quite wise … don’t you think Dawn? I love it when you reader folks teach all of us new stuff. Best wishes for the New Year to you too Jan … and to everyone!