Outdoor Decorations

Did people in your neighborhood decorate with lights? Did some people really go “all out” when decorating?

Most people in our neighborhood decorated with some lights, but not to the extent that you see in today’s displays. Some would put spotlights on the doors where wreaths might be hanging and on a few doors the door might be covered with wrapping paper. Some might have lights on the shrubbery or a very fake looking reindeer, but when I was small, you rarely saw the lights hanging all the way around the house or elaborate yard displays. Most people had their tree in the window and driving around town to look at the Christmas lights often meant you were just looking to see who had the best-lighted tree. Other neighborhoods had better lights than ours.

After Mom and Dad moved from my childhood home, their neighborhood used luminaries to light the curvy streets for a few years. As the neighborhood aged, that tradition ended.

I only have one shrub, and I don't see any sense in putting lights in one outdoor bush. My lighted tree has to suffice for the lights! I do have a wreath for the door. I have not invested in outdoor spotlights for it yet. To be honest, I haven't had time to think about getting a spotlight until now and Lowe's is closed at the moment. Last year, I had just purchased a home so that additional expense wasn't in my budget. I am not going to get on a ladder to hang lights around the trim of the house. I've seen some cool lighted figures that I wouldn't mind purchasing at some point, but I don't have time to shop for them so I'll live without them this year.