As I drive home from the office through a middle class neighborhood, I have noticed one particularly attractive and well maintained home. It has a traditional colonial farmhouse styling, with a wide wooden porch and carved posts. Lights and decorations began to appear on this house in recent weeks, and I appreciated how tastefully it was being done. Ribbons and wreaths, single white candles in the windows and some strings of white lights on the foundation plantings and roof eave. Each day they seemed to add a thing or two until I thought it was just perfect; a house that could be in a Hallmark commercial or on the cover of L.L. Bean holiday catalog. But then the unthinkable happened. Yesterday, as I was driving home I saw them; two monstrously big inflated illuminated things – right in front of the house in the middle of the lawn! Ohmygosh – how bad and sad this was. Their contribution to Holiday Cheer has now become an object of jeer (at least in my mind) as a picture perfect presentation gave way to an 8’ snowman and a round plastic globe with ‘snow’ blowing around inside.
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Why do people do this? For the last several years it had been the growing illuminated wire-frame deer herd explosion. You know, it started out innocent and sweet enough when just a few people had them. They even seemed beautiful at first – a creative addition to a light display. But then they started having fawns, and Wal-Mart sold them on special – Chinese deer. Living in Bucks County Pennsylvania, deer are not just a common lawn ornament, but a common road one as well. Although these electric ones don’t eat shrubs or damage cars, they have none-the-less become quite a nuisance. On the way home from church last Christmas I counted – no joke – 60 of these electric deer in a 5 minute span. Agggh! Now I’m not trying to be a bah-humbug Scrooge here. I love the Christmas season when the meaning is not obscured by all the ‘stuff’ and commercialism. I also appreciate architecture and know that it can be seasonally enhanced and accentuated by a holiday light display. Some of the best displays that I have seen over the years made me notice architecture that I previously overlooked or just got used to being there. In Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River near the Art Museum is Boat House Row. It’s probably over 20 years ago that they decorated these houses with rows of white lights along the roof eaves and outlining every window. It was beautiful to see from across the river with the lights reflecting in the water. And then there’s Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square PA. For many years now, tens of thousands of people visit America’s garden showcase at the Christmas season to get awe-inspired by their lights and illuminated fountains. But alas, now holiday light shows, complete with a giant Superman (whatever that has to do with Christmas), are springing up in local garden centers and on every neighborhood block.
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Okay – by now you’re wondering ‘what’s the point of this?’ I’m simply trying to encourage tasteful holiday light displays. Work with the architecture of the building. Consider what style of lighting the building suggests. Be careful with the use of colored lights. You can use the lights to create focal points – such as a nativity scene. Consider, too, if you want to see whatever the lights are hung on or if the lights themselves are meant to create a pattern. Often using too many lights provides so much illumination that the objects they are hung on are illuminated and then become the focal point instead of the points of lights themselves. To this end, consider the intensity of the lights on a string since they are available in different degrees of brightness. And watch-out for fads which start to get annoying in mass or in the wrong climate (icicle lights in Florida, for example).
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Having stated all this, I guess I still have to make room for children. For some reason, my kids always seemed most impressed with the garish light displays. I suppose that some of those giant snow globes and snowmen may be the request of the little children that live in those homes. Having acknowledged that, I’ll try not to preach out loud against such things – and maybe spoil it for some little one that overhears my ranting and raving. Instead, I’ll confine my thoughts to this little page in cyberspace – just in case someone out there is interested.
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If you’re interested in seeing more innappropriate Christmas Light Displays, visit UglyChristmasLights.com
I agree that sometimes houses are taken too far however I am not as disturbed as you with the use of some nontraditional items as a part of the Christmas display. I believe the point is that we make it a balance and that it still portrays what we believe. I must comment that I have been impressed to see quite a few nativity scenes. Christmas is foremost the birth of our Christ child however it is a celebration we engage with our families and our children. If the displays bring a smile I believe it is worth it. The lights are like the number of stars in the skies and can we ever truely match that number. One of our family’s Advent activities will be to drive around several neighborhoods and admire the lights. This will include counting the nativity scenes, admiring the beauty of so many lights (none that shines as bright as Christ)and the other objects as well. Look at it this way- the deer are creatures created by God, the snowmen are made of snow as clean and pure as our Lord and those carousel blow-ups- think of them as the children dancing to the Lord. I agree perhaps some houses may go too far but we don’t understand what their modivation is but if it makes one person happy during this joyous time them maybe it is worth it.
our christmas lights this 2010 would be made up from light emitting diodes which does not generates so much heat*`;
it is wise to choice to select Light Emitting Diode christmas lights becaue they are not fire hazard :,;