Written by Nina Earle
With bright probe lights flashing to the beat, everyone is reminded that it is holiday light season once again. The beats in the cars pump as they drive through the lights. With everyone’s faces plastered to the car’s windows, they slowly move through the rainbow of color. To the left, Frosty is ice skating with penguins, and to the right waves Santa. The Christmas countdown has truly begun.
Back home, Christmas lights are not just a Christmas thing. For every holiday there are lights going out on the fronts of yards. These can look like glowing spiders on roofs in October, firework lights hanging from trees in July, or trees covered in green during March. The proper time of the year for lights is right after Thanksgiving and during the start of December. A couple of decorations and lights out front are pretty and nowhere near tacky; it is the people who put up every light or blow up they can find that scream tackiness. My mind goes to the houses that light tours always hit which have cars lined up around blocks and blocking streets.
Every neighborhood has that one house. Sometimes they can be fun and exciting to look at. I know one house in Richmond where everything that was put in the yards was handmade. However, these yards also breed chaos. With the cool lights comes a large gathering of people and vehicles coming to the house. These cars can disrupt traffic in the area and make it impossible for people to get out of their neighborhood. So, this winter holiday, please be aware of your actions when going out to see the lights whether they are tacky or otherwise.
