Advent Calendar: Outdoor Decorations

My Dad always put lights on our house while I was growing up. They were the big red and green bulbs, colorful and cheery. He got up on the roof and outlined the whole roof of the house with them. My Mom hung wreaths with big ribbons and set out a lighted nativity set. I remember sitting in the back seat of the car, riding around the neighborhood at night looking at all the houses lit up with decorations. It’s still one of my favorite things to do, although now I’m usually in the front seat.

When we first moved into the house we live in now, my husband decorated our three pine trees in the front yard, along with the bushes close to the house, with mini colored lights. We tried the more elegant-looking white lights for a couple years but neither the kids nor I liked them as much. There’s something about colored lights that just shouts, “It’s Christmas!” Now, 14 years later, our pines have grown far too large to drape with lights. He still does the bushes and two smaller trees that frame our front porch. We’re never going to win a neighborhood decorating contest with our modest display, but the house looks cheerful and welcoming.

The most awesome Christmas light display I’ve ever seen, hands down, has to be the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. It’s an amazing experience to walk through, surrounded by lights on all sides and overhead, pressed into a happy crowd with cameras held high. The lights dance about in synchronization to Christmas tunes as “snow” falls from the sky. These pictures don’t begin to do it justice, but I hope they bring you a smile and some holiday spirit.

(This post is part of the Geneabloggers Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. You can find a list of topics and read posts from many participating bloggers by clicking here.)