I love piling into the car and driving around different neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights. It’s something my family has done for years and years and years. We’d always go through the “fancy” areas of town, like the Country Club, because the residents there always seemed to be in a competition over whose huge home could have more decorations on it. I remember one year a house had a Santa, sleigh and ALL eight, life-sized reindeer on its roof. The family went so incredibly overboard with the lights and lawn ornaments, it was slightly psychotic. Very similar to this…
It was CRAZY!! (I’m sorry if this is YOUR house!)
My family didn’t do much on the outside of our house, except for maybe a few wreaths on the windows and one on the light post in the front yard. Mom and Dad now have a couple lawn reindeer like this, they’ve finally graduated to the big time!!
Growing up, my parents would let me decorate my room for the holidays. I had a short strand of colored lights that I would tape in my bedroom window or wrap around my iron bedposts. Sometimes I’d have a small live tree my Daddy would bring home from church. It was like this “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree.
I think Daddy had gone out to the back pasture to cut it down for the toddler Sunday School class that he taught. I would put little ornaments on it and some lights. It was so cute! I would leave all the colored lights on at night and my room would glow green and pink and purple. I loved it!!! I’ll have to find some pictures while I’m at home and post them. I’m sure they’re HILARIOUS!!
Here’s a picture of me before my 8thgrade Christmas dance. Don’t you just LOVE the dress?? My mother added the black bows to make it more “formal”.
This year, since we’re in Oklahoma City, we decided to go see what everyone talks about during the holiday season… the lights at Chesapeake Energy. I was not disappointed… my need to see Christmas lights was TOTALLY fulfilled with just one trip to campus.
Here’s a short video I shot as the lights were changing colors. This is one of the first times I’ve used the video function on my new NIKON Coolpix my mom got me for Christmas, so I apologize for the crazy audio.
Plus, I was cold, so it’s a little shaky.
Chesapeake decorates their campus with 4.3 million energy efficient LED lights in a variety of colors. Their website says “that more than 61,000 strands adorn the trees along the streets and within the campus…
“End to end, the light strands are 271 miles long – the distance from Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Missouri” according to CHK.
Even the construction equipment was wrapped in lights!
Rob took this picture with his Blackberry…
it’s a little fuzzy, he was cold, too!
These lights have been a tradition at CHK since 1999. Music plays in one part of campus and the lights change colors in rhythm with the tune. Pretty cool!
The lights are turned on at 5 pm and stay on until 7:30 am. Chesapeake’s holiday lights will remain lit through the first week of January. If you miss it, don’t worry, they’ll be there again on Valentine’s Day!
Today’s CHK Quote of the day:
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
– Charles Dickens
(1812-1870)
English author
Until next time…
Happy Blogging!