Admit it – you head out late in the evenings around the Christmas holidays to look for houses decorated (in an over the top way) for Christmas. Kind of like this one …
Natalie and I like riding around and looking at how people decorate for Christmas … I’ve mentioned it before. We like them all – the ones that are tastefully done, the ones that have a “whoa I’ve never seen that before!”, and especially the ones that make you slow down as you drive by, stop in the road, or even circle back around to see it two or three times (we call those Ho Ho houses). Of COURSE you need to take pictures of those! We’ve seen you out cruising a street, driving really slow and peering out the window at all the lights, so we know you do it too – don’t judge! And since SO many of us seem to enjoy it as well, a few years ago I decided to do a little map that shows different spots around the New River Valley – and a few a little further away – that people might want to check out. It received so much traffic that I’m doing it even bigger this year, and I need your help! I am also doing my home bigger this year. Every year (five to be exact), I try and have the brightest house on the block and every year someone in my neighborhood out lights me. I pulled out the big guns this year and decided to purchase commercial outdoor christmas lights. They are about three times as bright as the lights you by for your house or tree. I know that this year I am going to wake up to the beautiful wooden blue ribbon lawn post that the development gives to the best Christmas house. It is definitely my year.
(last year’s map)
View Christmas Lights in the New River Valley in a larger map
Have you seen your neighbors starting to decorate their house? Snap a photo, email the photo to me along with the home’s address, and I’ll add it to the map. Have you decided that you’re going to go all Clark Griswold this year? Snap a photo of the finished product, email it to me with the address, and I’ll add it to the map. Have you seen a house that defies all rules of energy usage? Snap a photo of the finished product, email it to me, and … you get the drift. I’ll use the photo and upload it to the map, along with the address (and a description, if you’d like to provide one) so that we all can enjoy the season a little bit together!
And I need a few elves this year – as the map has gotten bigger, it gets harder and harder to get around the New River Valley to get photos. If you’re willing to be on the lookout for New River Valley homes decorated for the holidays, let me know and you can help grow the Christmas Lights in the New River Valley map even larger this year!
It’s fun to watch the New River Valley modern pendant lights up this time of year, and hopefully, this map will serve as one way for you and your family to celebrate the season.