JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Like many people of, ahem, a certain age. I'm not wild about driving after dark. Which makes it unfortunate that I live in southern Maine, where the sunset time swings between 4:30 to 4:00 and back again in the two months surrounding the solstice (this Sunday! Get your bonfire wood ready!)
There aren't a lot of opportunities to avoid driving in the dark during this period, unless you're sheltering in place at home. However, last night, I made the hour-and-twenty minutes drive from Wiscasset, where my grandson and his parents live, to my house, and I realized there was, actually, so much to love about nighttime driving in December.
It's wonderful to see houses lit up, some with extravagant displays that look as if they bought out the entire stock of Home Depot, and some with single white candles in their windows. There are homes swagged with exuberant, flashing multi-colored strands, and stately early-19th century manses with ground-set spotlights showing off their ropes of greenery.
Her local volunteer fire department has the station house outlined in red, white and blue (I can only guess it also serves for the Fourth of July) and mine has bands of red and green shining over the enormous truck doors. Up the road a bit, the public works department has parked a bucket loader at the entrance to the sand and salt storage, well-polished and shining with festive colored lights.
Driving over the long bridge from Woolwich to Bath, the skyline is dominated by Bath Iron Work's iconic "Big Bertha," a maritime crane strung with lights and carrying a whole Christmas tree at the top of its boom.
Arriving in Portland on Route 295, you get a sweeping view of Maine's largest city (pop 69,000!) from the spotlight-illuminated Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1869) to the dome of city hall with its golden flying ship in full sail (1909 - it's the fourth one, the other three burned down) and our weird and beautiful park lights designed by artist Pandora LaCasse. (Are they eggs? Fruit? Aliens? Ornaments? Nobody knows.)
It's such a gift; all the work that goes into these decorations, done by employees and volunteers and homeowners and renters. You don't see your lights from the inside, not really. They're a present for all the strangers, like me, driving past your house or your workplace, making it a joy to be driving in the dark.
Dear readers, what do you see after dark in your neck of the woods this time of the year?
We see lots of lights . . . yards filled with blow-up Santas, snowmen, and elves . . . sleds filled with packages . . . brightly-lit trees . . . it's a wonderful sight!
ReplyDeleteIt so is, Joan.
DeleteI have been really impressed by all of the holiday lighting in Nice. Back home, there would be only a few major shopping streets with decorations, but here, there are hundreds of streets with lighted displays arching over the street, or hundreds of lighted strands dangling down. It was lovely as we were walking home about 9pm last night - at that time, there are almost no cars out in the central part of the city. (With 300k+ population, I’m sure it’s different in the burbs.)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds spectacular, Lisa - I'm hurrying to Google images to see!
DeleteSince I … ahem … reached that “certain age” for night driving in my early 30s… now 45 years later, night enjoyment of Christmas lights and lighted displays just isn’t any more. The window of sunset to dusk is when these displays are best for my eyes as they are not just one bright blur as they become in the full dark. Enjoy all the joys of the season. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteSeeing the lights in twilight is so magical, Elisabeth; I don't think you're missing out!
DeleteThanks for the tour, Julia! Amesbury's historic brick Market Square (actually a circle) is all lit up with white fairy lights in the trees and a lit Christmas tree in the middle. It's lovely. Some houses have colored lights outside, but nothing extravagant in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI'm a candles in the windows type. We actually went out to a concert in the next town last night, and it warmed my heart to see our house from the outside when we came home.
Me too! Candles in the window are the best.
DeleteI should also mention that, at the landfill in neighboring Haverhill, MA, atop the 287-foot tall condensation stack is a five-pointed star that is lit every year from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Everyone can see it from the interstate (495). During the worst of the pandemic, they kept it lit from March 2020 to January 2021.
DeleteEdith, when my kids were young, I put away the window candles because someone or the other was ALWAYS knocking them over. It may be a good year to haul them out and try again - I can see if the cats are better behaved than my kids were!
DeleteI tape the wire to the windowsill, which helps keep the candle upright!
DeleteWe’ve taken several drives around our community both in the car and in the golf cart to look at the lights. In one neighborhood they all have luminaries lining the street. One house had a radio station to tune into for music that coordinated with their lights. All the gate entrances and entrances into each neighborhood have big displays. The people who volunteered for our gate went with a pink and white and flamingo display this year. It looks fun and not too tacky. Lots of garage doors are covered with festive banners, which are great to see even in the daytime. We have one with the Peanuts gang caroling on ours. It will be sad to see it all go in January.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, from 1987 to 1996, we would spend the second week in December with Ross's dad in Cancun, Mexico. It taught me a deep appreciation for the Christmas decor of warm, tropical climes - they didn't try to copy Olde England, but instead everything was pink and turquoise and luminaria (impossible in the northeast) and these extravagant bursts of color and brightness.
DeleteI'm in Southern Maine also, yesterday when driving home from the matinee of White Christmas (Sally Struthers and the entire cast were WONDERFUL!) my hubs and I were remarking on all of the Christmas lights. Some were beautiful, some austere and some looked like they bought every light they could and threw them over everything! There's no accounting for taste when it comes to holiday decor, but there is enthusiasm and love. That's what counts! Happy Holidays Julia!
ReplyDeleteCT, I didn't know the Ogunquit Playhouse did this; next year I'm going to hop on it early and get tickets! Happy Holidays to you as well!
DeleteI'm on three different meds that cause blurry vision, one at a high dose. So I try hard to be home by 4:30 when darkness falls, as the halos around all lights have become so intense they are overwhelming and it feels dangerous. Still, when I'm a passenger I enjoy looking at the holiday decorations. It's funny; I've served on a committee to preserve the night sky of our town from light pollution — the decline of true darkness here has been dramatic over the last forty years — but my vigilance relaxes every December. Thank you for the photos, Julia. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you about light pollution, Selden, and I'm proud to live in a state that has so many dark sky sites, official and informal.
DeleteBut, as the say goes, Christmas comes but once a year...
Back in the days…
ReplyDeleteThe town where I grew up was small – still is. 600 people, so not many homes. Not much money either, but it seemed that everyone did a bit of decorating for Christmas. Most homes had a string of lights usually mixed but sometimes a special just one colour or maybe even the daring alternating red and green. It was rarely all blue because those bulbs were for some reason hard to buy. The older homes had at least the candle or candelabra (the local favourite) in some or all the front windows. The best part was that it was not a competition like today, but just a joyful part of the season. There were no air-balloon Snoopys anywhere!
During the week before or the week of Christmas, people were often seen walking around town, or cruising in the family car – all of them, parents, kids, grandparents – to see and ooh and aah over the various displays. Add a sprinkle of snowflakes and it was just magical!
Margo, this reminds me of what my grandmother's town in upstate NY was like when I visited as a child in the early 1970s. I don't think decorations had changed there since WWII, and it always looked so special to me.
DeleteWhen I was a kid in the 50s and 60s my family's favorite thing was to take a ride. Thanks 26 cent gas! At this season we would go, even far afield, so see the lights. Pine Plains, NY has particularly nice ones as well as a parade of decorated trucks righr after Thanksgiving. I also admire Litchfield, CT.
DeleteThere's a house a few blocks from me that has this amazing Christmas tree of lights. It's basically a huge pole in their front yard, surrounded by strings of light that are arranged like maypole ribbons. It flashes a display of lights in red, white, green, and blue. It can be all one color for a few seconds, then fade to the next, or it does different combos of the colors. I wouldn't want to live across the street, as it's very bright and very big, but I do enjoy it. I notice this year that it's not on in the early mornings, as it has been in years past, so perhaps the neighbors asked for mercy, or maybe the energy cost was too high.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to guess energy costs, Gilllian - if they were giving the neighbors a break, the lights would go off at 10 or 11PM!
DeleteWhat a nice post Julia. I enjoy driving at night except for the bright headlights of on coming cars.
ReplyDeleteI also like driving in the early morning before there is any traffic.
I'm not up before dawn very often, Anon, but when I am, it's my favorite time to be out and about.
DeleteActually, Julia, I am grateful for this reminder! I had planned to take my sister out one evening to view lights, but our December has been so brutally cold I haven't done it yet. It is supposed to warm up to the mid 40's today, though, so we might be able to do it sometime this week.
ReplyDeleteThe suburb I live in is a newer one. (Actually an old small town now grown into a large suburb.) That means many housing developments. A lot of those have thremed lights, such as one we visited last weekend with red lights wrapping the trunks and white lights in the branches of the trees that lined all the streets. My condo development doesn't have that, but has a nice smattering of outdoor lights with lit Christmas trees visible in the window at many homes. But a favorite of mine is visible as I head toward my church, where I pass an older home with a towering evergreen tree in the yard. I don't know what kind of equipment it takes to make this happen, but that entire tree, perhaps more than 20 feet tall, is bedecked in blue lights, with some additional blue lights on the house. The effect is very calming.
I'm always amazed at houses like that, Susan, where you can't imagine what sort of work and equipment could possibly have created the light display. It adds to the magic, I think.
DeleteI don't drive after dark so I'm not seeing any lighted decorations. I have a neighbor off to my let, on the other side of the woods. I can see that he has some sort of lighted decoration, but I don't know what it is. I think he leaves it up all year because I have seen it in the summer. I close my draperies as soon as the sun goes down so I don't even see what the neighbor across the road has. In previous years he has had lights on the spruce tree near the road but not this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have seen at night are deer. When we've had snow I can see deer tracks all over. Once in a while I have seen them from my bathroom window; there is one area they seem to be especially fond of. Of course it helps when the moon is very bright.
Living between two hills, the sun in winter goes down very early, about 3:30 in the afternoon. Then it comes up late on the other side.
Oh, Judi, it sounds like you and I are almost in the same place. I'm at the top of a modest hill, but it's so heavily forested to the west that the sun disappears from view around 3:30. And so many deer tracks this year! I an only assume the relative lack of snow last year kept many more alive through the winter than would be usual.
DeleteThose purple ball things are sort of avant garde, aren't they? I am leaning towards space alien eggs, myself. I mean, tis the season. Makes as much sense as the Abominable Snowman.
ReplyDeleteLast night I went out, for a change, to a garden club party at one member's home. Her cul de sac was lit up, including one house draped with lights over its entirety.
This has been such a weird year for us, with four family members passing, along with three or four very good friends, and my best friend getting further away into dementia every time I see her. I just don't have either the energy or the spirit to wrangle all the decorations up out of the basement and get them arranged festively. The thought of taking it down again depressed me so much I made the decision to just put up a few things, and no tree. My daughter, who is spending the holiday in the area, will not be happy, but I can't manage it this year.
Our neighbor across the street moved to Florida, and a young couple bought the house. We both remarked the other day how we were missing Don's lit-up "JOY" that he always placed across from our driveway. Hardly anyone else on our road decorates.
Karen, sending warm hugs to you this season. I've had years when no family would be with us that I just didn't have the energy to put up a tree. I get it. I'm so sorry about losing your family members and friends, and losing your bestie in a different way. I hope being with your grandson and daughter will bring some comfort.
DeleteKaren, the only decorating I've done is my tree--and that only has lights. Yet I get a lift every time I drive in at night and see the lights in the window. Do what you feel up to managing and don't beat yourself up because you don't have the energy for more. Hugs from northern Ohio.
DeleteThank you, dear friends. It makes such a difference to know we are not alone in loss. Peace to you all.
DeleteYou're very much not alone, Karen. Hugs across the miles.
DeleteSo sorry for this gloomy year Karen, it sounds so hard.
DeleteSo sorry for the sad year, Karen. We are thinking of you. XX
DeleteCrossing over the Sagamore Bridge into Cape Cod there is a wonderful display of giant light sculptures along Rt 6A in Sandwich and beyond into Dennis. I believe there are about 135 of them now. Created by Michael Magyar who owns the Glass Studio on Cape Cod they are huge metal sculptures with festive lights. They are called the Giants of Sandwich and he first started making them back in 1998 because 6A can be a very long stretch of darkness especially during the winter months. He wanted something that would light up the area at various points along the way. Local businesses and homeowners own these giant sculptures which Mr. Magyar created over a period of nearly three decades. Their story and photos of what they look like can be found on his website Capecodglass.net; they are spectacular to see dotting the 6A highway as well Sandwich Center and private residences. One of the photos shows Titcomb's Bookshop and its "Giant" which was made for them years ago. These "Giants" are so colorful and a wonderful sight to see during the holiday season. I believe the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce has a map of each giant light sculpture's location on its website. It's a wonderful holiday tradition no matter how young or old your spirit may be. :-)
ReplyDeleteEvelyn, I'm so glad you shared this! The Giants look delightful, and I can imagine how much fun it must be to see one on the horizon in the dark. And Magyar's glass items are exquisite. I was trying to imagine who I could give one of the oceanballs to!
DeleteYou are welcome, Julia! Thank you for checking out The Giants. Michael Magyar's studio has been on the Cape for quite a few years and I agree that his glass creations are beautiful. Especially those oceanballs that you love. We were given one of Mr. Magyar's pumpkins as a housewarming gift when we moved to Plymouth ten years ago and I love displaying it during the autumn season. I am always in awe of skilled artisans.
DeleteAt my age I can't see much after dark, which is good. If I can't see it it isn't there, so I can't hit is, right? At least that's what I told the cops.
ReplyDeleteJerry, all the writers in this community are pausing thoughtfully and then scribbling notes based on your comment. :-)
DeleteLots of deer flitting in front of cars and coyotes too close for comfort. Dog walkers with headlamps and safety vests. And Xmas lights and inflatables.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, in deer season, I can almost hear my dad's voice, "Never outdrive your headlights!"
DeleteThat's my mantra as a pantser! I can't see Maine - or the end of my book - from where I am, but if I keep driving into the headlights, I'll get there.
DeleteDuring the silly season, I see pretty much the same things I see at all other times of the years and then add in the various brightly lit decorations that I generally don't care much about.
ReplyDeleteI still drive at night where and when I have to be places. I don't refuse to go anywhere because it will be dark but I don't go out of my way to do extra things so I can still brag about being able to drive at night either.
I do wonder what will happen once I am one of the people of a certain age for whom darkness means no driving. The closest I've come thus far happened the night I went to the Michael Connelly book signing in Foxboro. It was pouring rain, windy as hell and it was engulfed by a darkness more than night it seemed (see what I did there? LOL). I did find myself wondering what the hell I was doing out on a night not fit for man nor beast but there was no way I was missing out on meeting Michael Connelly. The drive home from the event was "fun" in a totally opposite way of that word's definition.
Jay, this sounds silly, but there are yellow tinted glasses you an wear at night that help with the blurriness and difficulties between bright and dark. Now, you look like Eliot Gould in Ocean's Eleven wearing them, but if you're alone in the car, who cares?
DeleteJulia, this made me remember the recommendation of my optometrist at my last appointment. In addition to meds causing blurred vision, I also have very dry eyes. The doctor recommended driving in SKI GOGGLES year round, to "create a humid environment around the eye." I looked at him in amazement. "I do it," he explained. "I will say it embarrasses my wife." (Selden)
DeleteI enjoy my neighbours' lights and appreciate how they counteract the darkness at this time of year. I have a few fairy lights indoors, but no way to easily power outdoor lights. I am amazed how fancy some places get -- and I always wonder about the power cost!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I wonder the same thing, Amanda. I don't think electricity's cheap ANYWHERE!
DeleteLove seeing Christmas lights at night.
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid I committed a faux pas the other day. I misunderstood the person asking me how to sign Happy Holidays. I thought they asked me how to sign Happy Christmas. I taught the signs for happy Christmas then corrected myself and taught them how to sign Happy Holidays .Now they know the signs for happy Christmas and Happy Holidays.
It's always good to expand your worldview, Diana!
DeleteRight now I see a magical town lit up like a holiday fantasy land. Every tree in town is smothered in lights and I have to pinch myself to remind me that I'm not dreaming. It's stunning. I also see those darn LED lights coming at me like a laser, blinding me while I drive toward them. (Full disclosure, my car has LED lights and I am constantly getting that blink from oncoming drivers telling me to turn them down which I cannot do because they are already down.). I did get those anti glare glasses that make you look like something from another planet and I confess, they help. The good news is no-one sees me in them unless they are riding with me in the car! And if they have their license or even their permit--I let them drive!
ReplyDeleteGerri, I'm convinced the one thing that unites all Americans of every creed, faith, political persuasion and ethnicity is loathing of those overly bright LED lights, especially on large pickups, where they shine straight into your car.
DeleteThe candidate who promises to get rid of them once and for all would sweep the nation!
SO many Christmas lights around here! SOme are so lovely, I love the dangly icicle ones. ANd some are unbelievably gaudy. And I always wonder how they put them up. AND wonder how the people next door and across the street survive with that flashing all the time...
ReplyDeleteI know, right? I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood where white lights are as extravagant as it gets. It's fun to see those over-the-top displays, but less fun to have to buy blackout curtains to sleep!
DeleteI drove through a portion of Christmas Tree Lane on Sunday. When I was a kid this was annual ritual. We would load up with jackets and blankets in the back of the old station wagon and slowly creep, lights off, through the streets just east of the old Carrillo Adobe property. Every house and yard was decorated back then. No one parked in front of their homes. It was magical. I only did the one street this year because driving and looking .... But it was fun to relive a little bit of the magic. .
ReplyDeleteDeana, when you say the old Carrillo Adobe property, are you referring to a neighborhood in Carlsbad, CA? — Pat S
DeleteDeana, I wonder if there are regional differences in the way people light their houses? Do you see the same things in California as you do in Maine?
DeletePat S -The Carrillo Adobe is the remains of the adobe home built by Maria Carrillo on the southern bank of Santa Rosa Creek in Santa Rosa CA. She was the mother-in-law of Maria no Vallejo.
DeleteJulia: I have no idea if there are regional differences, I just enjoyed the lights as a kid, especially since we didn't decorate the outside of our home when I was growing up so Christmas Tree Lane was magic.
DeleteThe Palm Tree trunk wrap with fronds in green is popular in SoCal.
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ReplyDeleteHere in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I'm lucky enough to live walking distance to one of them. There's nothing like walking to dog to the lake after dark (that's as early as 6pm here too, Julia!) and seeing a wreath of Christmas lights from the houses encircling a snow-covered lake, glowing white in the moonlight.
ReplyDeleteOh, Robin, that sounds so magical.
DeleteJulia, this isn't the same issue but I had to post. Yesterday I received my Dec. 21 copy of the NYT Book Review. (I subscribe and it's mailed to me.) I always read the Crime & Mystery section. The first book reviewed was your At Midnight Comes the Cry.
ReplyDeleteThe last line of the review was: Fleming, in her most masterly turn yet, mixes heart stopping action with deep empathy for her characters.
Congratulations!!!
Thank you so much, Betty!
DeleteWhat wonderful photos! Most of the folks around here have opted for the blow-up version of Christmas decorations. Not too many are using lights. Can't blame them. Electricity prices are through the roof in my area. That doesn't mean I don't miss the lighted displays! When I was a kid, we'd all pile in the car after supper and drive to different neighborhoods to see the displays. Magical.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hear you about Versant and CMP, Kait. I've resorted to unplugging my TV, toaster, and Alexa speakers when not in use, like a Victorian lady afraid of outlets!
DeleteKait, I wonder how much electricity it takes to keep the blower motors running 24/7 to prevent display collapse. Elisabeth
DeleteJulia, like you, I'm not fond of driving after dark anymore, but I agree that during the Christmas season it is well worth it. My husband has never been interested in putting up outside lights, and I've never been interested in doing it by myself or hiring it done. This year I got two small outdoor Christmas trees with white lights that are battery operated, and I put them on the front porch. I do love seeing those houses where maximum effort has been used to create a magical display of lights. There's a meme I've seen where it shows two houses. The one on the right is lit up and decorated in grand style, and the house on the right has a sign in the yard that says "Ditto" with an arrow pointing towards the lit up house. I'm afraid I'm Ditto. Of course, the most entertaining Christmas lighting of the house is in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely, Kathy! My dad, who was trained as an electriian, used to mutter darkly about the overloaded outlets our neighbors used to fuel their extravagant holiday lights. We had a sensible amount of blue lights (why blue? I never asked) outlining the front porch and twining up the lamp pole.
DeleteWe live in a neighborhood (3 parallel streets and the connecting streets) known as Christmas Card Lane. It started with people taking 4’ x 8’ pieces of plywood and painting pictures on them and placing them in their front yards with a spotlight showing them off. The original house was owned by a former Disney employee so the designs were Mickey and friends in a holiday setting. Over the past 30 years it has become a glorious mishmash of designs — all meant to inspire joy and wish Happy Holidays to everyone passing. And yes, “everyone” passes — on foot, in buses from various retirement communities, horse-drawn carriages, full-size tour buses and plain old cars.
ReplyDeleteIt is an absolute pain to try to get into or out of your driveway if you’re a resident. On the flip side, if you embrace the insanity, you can do as I’m doing tonight: light a fire pit in your driveway, invite your friends over and sit and watch it all pass by as you and your friends enjoy food, drink and each other’s company. Happy holidays to you all! — Pat S
Pat, that sounds like an old-fashioned community delight. Thanks for creating joy and beauty for everyone to experience!
DeleteWay to go, Pat! That’s the right attitude.
DeleteOur historic town square here in McKinney, Texas could be a set in a Christmas rom com! It's so pretty I make excuses to go drive around it, even in the daytime. I know this is small potatoes compared to the famous Christmas lights of London, but so charming nonetheless. The whole neighborhood is ablaze, too. A lot of the lights are professionally done but I especially love the more eclectic ones. Lots of blow-ups, too, but in today's high winds I wonder if they'll become blimps...
ReplyDeleteMy neighborhood is lit up literally like a Christmas tree for the holidays. Twinkle lights everywhere. Blow up creatures. I'm always the little dark spot on my street but I relish the glory of a well lit Christmas-y neighborhood. As long as no one's piping Xmas carols through a loudspeaker I'm totally Zen... or as Zen as it's possible for me to be. But Karen, I'm so with you... I also get sideswiped by my loved one who would be taking evening walks with me and laughing at the Dr. Seuss blow-up figures on my neighbor's lawn.
ReplyDeleteThe holidays are really hard for a lot of people.
DeleteI was very proud of my garden club's effort at a major intersection in my small town in CT. The treasurer had made plywood letters spelling out JOY! We covered them with greenery and little red balls. They are lit with tiny white lights that are solar powered.
ReplyDelete