A few years ago, Jared and I stumbled upon a new tradition after finishing up some last-minute Christmas shopping. It was just getting dark outside when we pulled into the Starbucks drive-thru, grabbed a few festive beverages and started to head back home. A pretty decent snowstorm had passed through the area a few days earlier (a snowstorm by Missouri, pre-holiday standards, anyway), so we were taking the drive a little slower than usual, which allowed ample time to check out Christmas lights along the way. That drive home, which normally takes about 15 minutes, turned into a nearly two-hour exploration of the best light displays in Columbia.
We decided this impromptu date was a major success and have repeated it every year since. Last year, unfortunately, was a bit of a bust. I’m not sure if we went too early in the season or folks just weren’t feeling the Christmas spirit, but we went down dark street after dark street for about an hour before calling it a night. Humph.
But what are we if not sticklers for tradition? And this is the first real holiday tradition we started together, so last night we headed back out to the streets of good ol’ Columbia for year No. 3. Before the festivities could begin, however, we had to grab a few supplies:
• Ella and her Christmas sweater: What kind of puppy parents would we be if we left the fur baby behind? And the festive garb seemed like a nice touch.
• Starbucks holiday drinks: As per the usual, I went with the gingerbread latte, and Jared ordered his once or twice annual eggnog latte (which he doesn’t particularly love but says tastes just like Christmas. Makes sense.).
• Jar o’ cookies: We’re grossly outnumbered by baked goods this time of year, so any occasion to munch a few more treats is almost a necessity.
So with supplies in hand and Christmas music on the radio, we hit the road. And this year, the city did not disappoint. Here are a few of our faves:
This is the first mega-lighted house we saw, complete with penguins, snowmen/snowwomen and at least a half dozen Santas. Groovy.
This place looked oh so crazy but oh so awesome. So. Many. Lights.
This one was pretty funny stuff. After driving down a few dark streets, we found this house at the end of a cul-de-sac. The neighbor to the left had two pre-lit trees about 2 feet tall flanking the front door. The neighbor to the right had nothing. This place made up the difference. (Yes, that’s Santa and Mrs. Claus staring out from the upstairs windows. Eek!)
The last great place we found (the display was raising money for Habitat for Humanity, which was pretty cool) had a yard full of lighted vignettes, including this little church.
These swans swimming in a fountain.
And these happy gingerbread guys outside their own little cottage (with Santa on the roof, of course). Yahoo, Christmas!
So that’s our Christmas lights date 2010. What about you? Have you been scoping the lights in your town lately? Any wild and crazy displays you look forward to every year? Or maybe there’s another tradition that you’ve recently put into practice? Let’s hear it!
XO,
Katrina
Opening light photo from Photos.com.