On Christmas Day, let's take a moment to reflect on the subject of light. Or perhaps more accurately, the subject of lights.

Growing up in Florida, I saw saw many over the top light displays at people's homes. It brought a sense of holiday cheer to the subtropics. When I moved to Minnesota, I saw quite a bit less of this. It was a bit sad even though there were other holiday traditions I got to be familiar with as time went by. Things have changed in the last few years, though. Minnesota may not have quite as many private displays as I saw in Florida, but they make up for it with public light shows of all sorts.

At this point, I've attended two different shows: on e at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and another at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Both shows were delightful in their own ways. Christmas light shows are both fun to photograph and help fill the schedule in ways that remind me of my seemingly endless band commitments arounds the holidays. I admit I enjoy that kind of chaos and kind of miss it. I can also tell you that trying to replace it with working as a mail carrier isn't that great of a substitute.

Light shows are so versatile, allowing increasingly for a mix of traditional Christmas symbols and displays that speak to the venue. It's a mix that I'm sure will delight many cliche loathers. (Personally, I feel like I don't count as one of those in this context given my adoration of snowmen.) It's a great way to contrast the early darkness of early winter in Minnesota, and people's reactions are equally amusing. I will be seeing more light displays in January, so stay tuned for that. Hopefully the blog entries covering that will be posted in February.