Christmas Lights!

The exuberant shouts of "Christmas Lights!" fill my truck these days morning and night since it is dark commuting both ways.  

It was a favorite part of the year for me as a child.  My parents were great at coming up with free entertainment for us as kids and one of those traditions was to take a drive to look for Christmas lights.  

We would get in our PJs and bundle up in the car on one of the first few days after Thanksgiving.  We would drive around the countryside and through local small towns searching for the first of the Christmas lights.  The first person to spot Christmas lights would shout "Christmas Lights!" and my parents would reward that person with a nickle or dime for each time they were the first to the punch.  It never added up to more than a couple of dollars each but it was a blast.  

Later in the season we would go to a few select neighborhoods where the houses really did it up with big displays to enjoy those as well.  

I have continued that tradition with my kids but was a little disappointed at how early lights went up this year - so many before Thanksgiving.  

We waited until December 2 to put our lights up and I made some little garden displays.  

OK - I was really hiding the fact that this flower bed is still full of leaves and stuff that didn't get hauled away - but it looks pretty good this way!   Enjoy!  :)