This tardy LBC post covers A Winter's Tale - topic courtesy of Maria.
Winter has always been a favorite time of the year for me because Christmas and assorted other holidays suddenly make the world seem to be a better place. Well - maybe at least the part I inhabit.
I love driving around looking at homes decked out in their Christmas lights -
Now I agree that none of the lights in the example provided aren't over-the-top insane like some I've seen but these can be viewed riding on a Suzuki 550 while wearing shorts, an aloha shirt and flip flops - just like I did when I lived in Hawaii. The weather outside was not frightful - it was in fact delightful. In fact if memory serves, my last tour of the lights - 12/23/1986 to be exact - was a warm 75° or so and the street I was viewing was packed with folks - the homeowners and all of us lookie-loos. It was great fun and a memorable conclusion to my time in Hawaii. Christmas made an already friendly neighborhood even friendlier. I'm sure there's a lesson in that for all of us somewhere.
Outdoor Christmas decorations were very few and far between this year in Ireland. I know one man who went over board, but soon discovered to his amazement that the bill for electricity for the two months around the festive season, cost more than the previous 12 months in total. Painful!
ReplyDeleteI would give an arm and a leg to see you on a Suzuki dressed like that again!
ReplyDeleteLove this post, Chuck. Has that warm, down-home feelin' … makes me want to ride along.
ReplyDeleteblessings ~ maxi
from '65 on, I often spent xmas with family who lived in waikiki. I have a real thing for the royal Hawaiian band, the shaka Santas and tutu Santas, and one of the biggest thrills for me, at Christmas, was when Santa, black nut beads, hawaiian shirt, arrived on a surf board, as the band struck up. I also remember one Christmas when we were asked to bring toilet paper as a present, since the matson line was late, and eveyone was being rationed. Your light picture brought it all back. And made me miss family, and Hawaii, even more. thanks for the beautiful article.
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