Do you go see residential Christmas house lights?

[powellrj]

We use to when the kids were little. I would love to go again.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I often take a bunch of detours at night through the neighborhoods to see the lights! Usually I just drive around and see what I find. And I’ve only ever gotten out of the car if it’s a particularly impressive display.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We've done three different types over the years:

1) Just checking out lights on normal drives around town - detouring down especially pretty streets, etc.
2) There used to be a walk-through display in our town, but they've retired. You would park and park in, and there was cocoa, etc.
3) Lately, there has been one of those synchronized music ones in a town not far away. There's sort of a loop you can park on to watch a whole "set".

 

[fla4fun]

I don’t need to, as I drive to work in the dark and drive home from work in the dark, so I get to see lots of lights.

 

[RedAngie]

A few times during the holiday season we’ll drive thru various local neighborhoods to see lighted houses. There is one not far away that has about two dozen inflatables. It seems that add one or two new ones every year. They have fewer for Halloween but it’s still impressively tacky.

Decades ago we’d visit a few homes that were notorious for their over the top displays, but we don’t bother anymore.

My neighborhood is mostly bah humbugs.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Yep. We just drive around looking at the lights and decorations. We don't get out at the houses or anything though, but I think the people who do all that decorating would probably love a kind word acknowleging their hard work!

 

[barkley]

as a little kid (early 1960's) we would all get in the car to drive through a neighborhood down the way from ours. the original developer had some kind of in w/the local newspaper and collected hundreds of the huge heavy cardboard rolls the newsprint came on which he/his wife transformed into what looked like large candles-each was wired for power and the houses were constructed such that there were outlets at the end of both sides of each driveway. when a homeowner purchased they were given a pair and signed an agreement to put them up for the entire month of december. that started the ball rolling and everyone in that neighborhood went all out decorating.

as an adult there was neighborhood in the town we lived in that called themselves 'candy cane lane'. they went ALL OUT. the day after thanksgving through that sunday had bbq's filling the streets where the wives cooked as the hubbies worked TOGETHER and got everyone's lights up and lights going across the streets. people did stunning displays and the traffic was crazy such that the local p.d. ended up working it out that the lights were only on certain nights/times so things could be managed. people would drive or walk and on some corners there were manned toys for tots barrels with others having barrels for the local food pantry.

 

[tvguy]

Yes. There are dozens of web and Facebook pages listing the neighborhoods that go all out. Many now just ask that those driving by bring a canned food item to drop off as "admission", the canned food being donated to the Food Bank.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yep. We just drive around looking at the lights and decorations. We don't get out at the houses or anything though, but I think the people who do all that decorating would probably love a kind word acknowleging their hard work!

Some of the places including houses around here have spots to donate for a specific charity. Like the penguin one I mentioned in my earlier comment if you donate money when you're at the house it goes to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

 

[mamamary]

Dyker Heights in Brooklyn is incredible. We’ve been going for almost 30 years. When we first started going it was only locals and people who found out by word of mouth; now they have tour buses and the sidewalks can get pretty crowded.

Glad you posted this. I haven’t lived in Brooklyn for a long time but I lived right near this area and remember looking at lights there. I see there Is a website about this. Off to read it.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My papa loved to drive around and look at the lights, we did it at least once a week between Thanksgiving and New Years. We didn't stop anywhere. We haven't taken our kids to do that, but our little town puts on a HUGE display in the park downtown, we go down there a few times each year. They have a big lighting "event" the first night they are on, with music, hot chocolate, etc, and fireworks.

 

[StephMK]

We used to when the kids were younger but it's not a tradition that they want to continue. We used to love grabbing blankets and snacks for the ride.

 

[Snowysmom]

We took the kids when they lived at home. Now DH and I and the doggie go to look at lights every Christmas Eve. We have some really nice houses in our town and the neighboring towns. It really gets me in the holiday spirit.

 

[Firelfy]

Makes me reflect on the Osbourne Lights... I miss those.

 

[wgeo]

Yep, we go every Christmas eve, just drive around areas that we know put up fun stuff. There seems to be more houses every year, so it's tough to pick where to go since we don't want to be out all night!

Our neighborhood does pretty good. We have a couple of companies in town that run Christmas lights trollies for about 3 weeks before Christmas and our neighborhood is the first place they drive through - so I guess we're good enough as the "appetizer" for the better neighborhoods lol. We go out for a walk every night in our neighbordhood and it's always fun to see more stuff get put out as the weeks go on.

 

[Kellykins1218]

We drive around and see the lights about every other night. Our town square looks like something out of a Christmas movie and you can visit Santa at his house. Then we go past the house with the light show, drive down the dead end street where almost every house is completely decorated, drive through the Festival of Lights at a local resort, and finish up at the music and light show at the skating rink. We started this when the kids were younger and I would crank up the heat to get them to sleep. They still want to do it all the time, they just don't fall asleep anymore (rotten kids)

 

[wishesuponastar]

Yep. We just drive around looking at the lights and decorations. We don't get out at the houses or anything though, but I think the people who do all that decorating would probably love a kind word acknowleging their hard work!

I agree the kind word to the homeowner.

You’re all getting me in the spirit to start this tradition. I do have to say my kids are teens so hopefully they will want to do this with their parents.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Yes....we love looking at lights and our daughter is over 20. LOL

 

[jmenjes]

Yep. The big one here in Hollywood back in the day was the Drybread family's display. Spanned 3 houses.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Yes, I enjoy that.