I LOVE this season.
I love it. I love everything about it.
I love the gillter and glass and my house smelling of pine. I love being excited to see what's in the mail every day. I love the corny music and the golden oldies. I love slow food and home-made, and love baked into loaf pans.
And, I love the lights. I love the glow from the tree when all the other lights in the house are out, and I love the magical twinkle from the icicle lights outside our window.
We live in a fairly competitve neighborhood, I might add. The Griswold-esque peer pressure to put up lights outside begins the Friday after Thanksgiving. We had ours up by December 1 and we were fourth on the street.
Every night after dinner, instead of switching on the TV, we jump in our jackets and head out of the house. We trudge up the street, admiring the latest addition to the community lights and, oh, did I mention the coolest thing ever?
We have a neighborhood train.
A kind soul just a few streets away spends well over a week turning his entire front lawn into a huge electric train display. HUGE. At least 45' wide. There are multiple tracks, three levels, five or six trains runing, all surrounded by darling little dioramas of small-town life and the North Pole. And the Abominalbe Snowman, of course.
Every year it's bigger and better. This year's addition is a city skyline, a bit of Las Vegas, and a drive-in movie theatre complete with little vintage cars and a real projection screen playing real Christmas movies.
We are rarely the only family lined up at the fence. Three or four other little bodies are usually there, often in pajamas covered in hats and coats, standing mouths agape, eyes abright, giggling and pointing and squealing.
We turn home and as the boys chugga chugga through piles of leaves and moonlight, I think to myself how much nicer this is than just being parked on the couch after dinner. I can't wait to see who's got their lights up in our neighborhood tomorrow night.
Did I mention that I love Christmas?
I do. I really, really do.
Stop by and see for yourself. Trains run through the month of December on McBain Avenue, between Bascom Avenue and Patio Drive.
Adelle Gabrielson is a local writer trying to live life with grace, humor and great shoes. Read more of her musings at www.AdelleGabrielson.com or follow on Facebook.
