put on your sunglasses for this one...

my parents love christmas. they love decorating for christmas. let me rephrase that. they love the decorations of christmas. since we were kids, there were always animated christmas characters, stuffed animals galore, christmas pillows and blankets, a beautifully decorated christmas tree, little christmas doo-dads all over the house, etc...it wasn't until i was in high school (i think. it was a long time ago) that my dad began "the lights".

think, tim taylor on the show Home Improvement. only classier. and with a little less grunting.

one by one, my dad has added to his "lights" collection over the years to produce what you see in the picture above. there is something magical when the lights are turned on. neighbors walk by with their kids to stop and gaze at the beauty, cars slow down as they drive past my parents' house. it's like a mini-Festival of Lights.

the lights are great. and even though it's a lot of hard work to get these lights out of storage, set up, and maintained throughout the christmas season, my dad wouldn't miss it for anything. just to see all the grandkid's faces as they stare in awe at the brightness, it's all worth it. thanks, mom and dad, for making christmas such a fun time for kids of all ages!

and, just in case you missed my post the other day, here's another picture of my little man with his shades on.