People are nuts sbout Christmas lights around here. One of our neighbors have theirs set up to flash & be synchronized with a medley of Christmas songs. Personally, I find this a rather disturbing development. I guess I'm a Scrooge, but I'm definitely in the less is more when it comes to stringing up light.

Bring them on, I'm not even going to have a Christmas tree
this year due to the move. :0(
I'm one of those must have everything tastefully matched,
no colored lights, but I enjoy seeing it all. The thing I
enjoy most about Christmas is seeing the sheer
joy in children's faces when they see the decorations
all lit up.
When I see a house and yard all decorated, no matter how
elaborate, I like to think the Christmas spirit is still
alive and well.

I love the Nativity in front of the churches and will stop
every time there is a living Nativity. I still remember
the first time I saw it on stage at Radio City Music Hall.
It was so beautiful I cried.

I'm in the Scrooge camp with Andie, I guess. I'm not opposed to lights at all, but just get overdosed on them set up in blinding displays. My SIL, who is English and not so used to seeing them like Americans display them, drove off the road looking at a display set up near us. LOL. I used to take my mother out to those displays as she got older so she could be amazed as well.

I think we strung up lights one year, little blue mini ones around the gazebo by the pond. The first and last we've ever done here outside. Our outside decorations, if we have the time to do them, are simply pine boughs with red bows.

I can't imagine houses bedecked with thousands of lights in areas where one house abuts the next, but I guess it's their time and money and I know it makes a lot of people happy to look at them. I think I have worked in the Christmas business too long and become jaded. I used to have to sell those lights and they were a gigantic PIA.

This trend originated with Carson Williams' homemade display in 2004, tracked to TSO's Wizards In Winter. He broadcast the music over radio, no speakers to disturb the neighbors. It became an overnight sensation on the internet and brought Trans Siberian Orchestra into an instant spotlight (the music track is awesome!). From Wikipedia: (you can see the original display with music on the link below)

"Carson Williams from Mason, Ohio, USA, is noted for his homemade light shows using Christmas lights fixed around and on top of his house. The lights are programmed to turn on and off in synchronism with music using a computer application and set of modules known as Light-O-Rama. For each minute of animation synchronized to music, he spent approximately one hour to sequence 88 Light-O-Rama channels to control his 16,000 Christmas lights. His notability suddenly increased when a popular clip was widely circulated on the Internet in late 2005 showing a recording of one of his shows from 2004, accompanied by the track "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. An urban legend even developed that it was not a video of an actual light display, but faked on a computer.

With the permission from both his neighbors he put on various displays each year, completely free. Typical light shows ran between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. each night. Viewers heard the music on an FM broadcast frequency marked in the front yard. This kept the noise level down and eliminated the light/sound lag often experienced at concerts.

However, on December 6, 2005, Carson closed the light display indefinitely due to immense traffic congestion in his subdivision; there was a car accident in that area and police were unable to reach the site due to the heavy traffic that had built up.[1]

Williams' Christmas display proved so popular that it was featured in a Miller Lite beer commercial in December 2005. In fact, the show was so popular that many other individuals have copied Williams, using the same song.[2]

Here is a link that might be useful: Carson Williams: 2004 TSO Display

Ther used to be a guy in Little Rock who would put up an enormous lgith display - something like a million lights. I saw it one year when I was down there on business. The traffic was so awful that they called in state troopers to get it under control. That's what finally shut this guy down Teh city didn't want the extra to direct traffic around his house.

Hi Tally,long time no see. Hope your critters are all well and good. Don..I'd know those blue eyes..well..blue eye anywhere. Nope..no light display for me. DH and I alternate Christamas every year. One year he get's his tacky Christmas which means lights somewhere or other outside and the next year I get the tasteful Christmas..no lights other than a spotlight on our wreath. This is a tasteful year. Hooray!!

Marda, One year for some reason our tree was up for a few days with nothing on it...I swear I preferred it...just the natural green, the scent. But of course the lights and other decorations were added. I did have one year with no lights, and lots of little baskets, wheat ornaments, dried Allium blossoms, gingerbread men, etc. but son and DH wanted the usual glitz the next year. I gave up.

Used to be sort of the lower income parts of town that you saw the over-the-top lights and plywood cutouts, now they are everywhere. Not sure if those folks got richer and moved or if everyone's taste is going south...LOL Just kidding...everyone should do what they wish but I sure would object to holiday music being broadcast nearby.

Don, I swear your "Grinch" face just breaks me up...especially in a Santa outfit! Perfect for a holiday card...josh

Hi Marda,

Thanks for remembering us. The critters are all fine. We lost 2 in the past year, and gained a new one - Snickers. Who's a brat! LOL!

I lurk now and again, but seldom have time to do much posting.

It's always nice to come back and see old friends :)

OMG...........it IS! don. LOL. I read and reread Marda's comments and it just dawned on me what she meant. Now, I can see it too. That's too funny. He makes a super Santa. It looked like one of those old rich 30's renditions of St. Nick. I love it!

I wondered when it would be noticed and knew Marda would catch me. Guess she was gone for the week end. ; )

Christmas Decoration Near Our Area