Christmas Lights

I am in trouble - OK so you are not surprised!

Our village has a great team of blokes who put up the christmas Lights (my husband being one of them). the lights for many years have been spectacular. "Switch on" night is a village fest complete with father christmas, hog roast the whole lot. every year it developes more and more and has now expanded beyond all proportions to our tiny village.

this year they have spent a mere £2,800 on extra displays the most distasteful being a flashing nativity scene in the church grounds (American OTT stuff)

the Lighs Comitee hold £14,000 !!!! Imagine what this could do for local charities.

I am afraid I could not help myself, I just had to write to our local paper about the situation. I chose not to tell Martin as I did not think my letter would be published, but it has been. I just asked people to consider the message we are sending out, I just wonder why I bother to turn off the standby on my TV when I see all these lights being displayed from 5.30 am in the morning. I don't begrudge a few but......oh you should see them!

so come on votes please,
AM I A HUMBUG?

 

Without seeing the 'bad' lights its hard to comment, personally I like things kept subtle.

 

Yes, Waco your a Humbug :D Where's your Xmas spirit xmastree :hehe: .. Dee..

 

Lights are difficult to photograph, but here are some of the 2003 festivisies http://www.thornton-le-dale.info/lightson.htm better still will be my description -

the extravagant chain of lights have always run allong the stream (which runs through the whole village) and are doubled in magnitude by there reflection. All the trees allong the avenue are lit up. this is the norm and it is superb!

these have now been augmented by scenes of light. Snowmen, waterfalls, santa clause, but the worst by far is this flashing nativity scene in the church - Jesus actually looks like a peanut! AND because it is advent they can't decorate the inside of the church, but they can have this flashing monstrosity in the grave yard!

One brave clever chap has designed a feature that works on the energy from the river, but it is a real non event, equivilant to about 0.000001 % of the display. this to me only serves to exagerate the gross extravagance of the rest of the lights, though I think his efforts were sterling!

Last night I went to the carol service in the next village, there were no lights not even any street lights. The simple church was lit by candles except for a megre string of lights on the modest tree. As we walked allong the road, there was a snake of light from torches and lanterns illuminating the path by people walking to church. I am not particularly religeous, but this had to be the Christ in my christmas!