Christmas Lights

As a child I was always excited to see the different lights people would put up around their house during the holiday season. I haven't grown out of this at all, but I think my view of the lights have changed.

No longer do I have the fascination and simple view of a kid - I've turned into a Christmas light Critic in my old age.

Let me preface this whole blog by informing you of my particular taste in lights - white. Plain ol' white, framing the house and the windows, nothing blinking.

I'm a vanilla holiday light girl.

That being said - I will always appreciate a nice display of color lights, as long as it is within the realm of good taste.

I was driving around in my little neighborhood last night and most folks have their lights up by now. A smile came across my face as I was driving by each one. Most displays fall into one these different categories:

• Perfect Displays! - Some people are very anal about their lights. They are spaced out perfectly, everything is symmetrical and you can tell they put a lot of time into it. Maybe a few lighted reindeer in the lawn and and nice simple wreath on the door and pine rope garland around the posts. It's obvious they paid someone to do this for them!
• Pretty, just not perfect - Other folks definitely had a plan in mind, but maybe they just didn't have the time, the resources or the patience to be as anal as category #1. They still look very nice. Happy! Festive! Fun!
• Lights Overboard - the credo for Lights Overboard is more lights is always better. There isn't any particular rhyme or reason to it, but there is a LOT of it! Single color lights on the trees, multi-color lights on the bushes, white lights around the house, icicle lights on the eaves...lots and lots and lots of lights!
• The Minimalist - One strand of lights around the door. These always cracked me up - why bother!?!?
• Religious - Usually a simple Nativity on the front lawn with a light shining on it. Simple and effective.
• Holiday Regurgitation, power draining, eye straining mind blowing, what the hell were they thinking - this is my favorite. You know them...the holidays just threw up all over their house! They have lights overboard, and they all blink....at different speeds. Lights around the house, lights in the bushes, up the trees, in the trees!!! Different colors, different types and just thrown on. Illuminated plastic Santa is on the roof with his little reindeer, the illuminated plastic snowman is on the lawn with the plastic candy canes and illuminated plastic candles and illuminated plastic wooden soldiers. These never stand straight either...all of these plastic things kind of tilt and the first gust of wind that comes...and they are down! And of course...my very favorite holiday decoration of all time - the blow ups!!! Who the hell invented these things and why have they become so popular? Holiday regurgitation will usually have multiple blow ups on their lawn. I counted 6 on one house the other day. That is just obscene.

This is my house...as I said, I like to keep it simple and tactful, but I do like to make a statement! My neighbors love it...absolutely love it! I added a little color and some music and a few other things this year just to spice it up a bit...I hope you all like it!

I hope I didn't go too fancy.