Christmas Lights!

I, for one, am totally unnerved that it's the end of the year. Not only that, it's the end of the decade! Time is flying at warp factor....oh, let's say 7. Warp factor 7. Maybe 8.

Here's a bit of trivia I found when I googled the maximum speed of the starship Enterprise:
 "The warp 10 barrier is a theoretical barrier for a starship with warp drive. Warp 10 is regarded as infinite velocity, so theoretically any vessel travelling at warp 10 would exist at all points in the universe at once."

"Infinite velocity." What a cool phrase! So something traveling at warp 10 would exist in all places at the same time. Sounds like Someone I know :)

Speaking of Someone I know (no, not Charlie Brown) - His birthday is coming up!

 Hence, all the celebratory dazzle.

So in the spirit of the season, we visited Rhema's Christmas Light display where I tried my hand at capturing the twinkling beauty of such a show.

Their staff works hard all year long on this gift to the community. It's 2 million lights attract thousands of people from all over every year. In fact, Rhema's lights made the best 20 list last week on MSN, right up there with Silver Dollar City in Branson and Las Vegas.

Photographing Christmas lights is like photographing July 4th fireworks. They look so amazing in person and you envision a spectacular one-of-a-kind photo that will impress your friends. You're hoping for something original and unique.

But then, as you scroll thru the images, they look pretty much the same as everyone else's. One sky-chrysanthemum in July looks just like another; one light-wrapped tree in December looks just like another.

But that doesn't stop us from trying!! It's the American Way. It's the Christmas Spirit!

So, while these aren't professional grade, amazing & unique, it was fun and relaxing trying (my camera always relaxes me). The weather was pleasant, the company was good, and it's important to share in a community experience, right? Even if the community is several thousand on a given night!

Above - I think the tunnel bridge is everyone's favorite. The lights are timed with music and who doesn't love walking thru a tunnel sparkling with color?

I would've gone nuts at something like this when I was a kid. I was a Big Believer in the magic of Christmas. When Stone & Thomas (a local department store) had their little train ride that took you through a snowy forest and a tunnel that emerged at Santa's house, I REALLY BELIEVED IT!

By the time L.S.Good's had their talking Christmas tree, I was "woke".  Fool me once, etc.

Ah, but there is still magic, the good kind, to be found at Christmas. Actually, it can be found every day of the year if you just look for it; but it does seem to ramp up at this time. Maybe because the heightened awareness and excited expectation of more people is happening at the same time. Maybe there really is something powerful about the convergence of all of that? Imagine if we all directed our energy towards peaceful solutions and co-existence?

Just a thought in a parentheses. This post wasn't meant to go deep today. So I'll close with this: May your eyes open, may your heart soften, may you hear keenly, the real message and the true Light of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!