Decorate the Holly Daze

Every year during the holidays of winter, I enjoy driving around at night to see the pretty lights and decorations that adorn some of the houses and local businesses. It's fun to park the car along the main street and slowly stroll down the sidewalk, checking the window displays of the local merchants. This year, I made over 60 photos — but don't worry, I'm not showing all of them here, just my favorites of the lot.

𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛: 𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢!

First up is this angel, which I really like. The features of her face and the way the halo is depicted behind her head reminds me of iconography of Eastern Orthodox churches. She looks like she might have stepped out of a scene from a church in the Ukraine, Slovakia, or Bulgaria. I like the muted tones of taupe, gray, rose, and gold. She holds a scroll with the words and music to the song "Silent Night." Many years ago, I collected angel figurines and decorations, but I don't do that now. If I did, though, I would like for her to have a home with me. Now, though, she would be better suited to another home, but I will always think of her fondly.

These snowman lamps are so cute! They would add much winter charm in a home. The shop window where I saw them seems to have them for sale, and one could go broke, very quickly, buying all the fun things they have in their window display, much less what's in the remainder of the shop! 😆

I think these conically shaped Santas are adorable! They are quite elegant — artistic but uncomplicated! The detail of their faces and beards is remarkable next to the simple lines of the remainder of the design!

This nativity scene is lovely. I think it's classy-looking, done in muted tones of taupe, tan, brown, and white. The drape of the garments is done very well, and the ornate staff held by Joseph is striking.

One of the local businesses has a ginormous tree in front of their building which is draped with lights every December. I have no clue how tall this tree is, but it's easy to notice how it dwarfs the one-story office beside it. I also have no idea how old this tree is, but I am now 69-years-old and the tree has been there ever since I can remember. I have often wondered what kind of tree it is, but never bothered to ask anyone. So, this year, I mentioned it on Discord and @jamerussell thought it might be a Deodar Cedar (scientific name: Cedrus deodara). I called the office of the business today to ask about the tree and the receptionist confirmed it as a Deodar Cedar! So, good eye, James! 😉

I like the simple beauty of these decorations: the greenery and pine cones sprayed with fluffy, white "snow." The deer in the right-hand photo are so artistic! I love the curves and geometry that were carefully crafted to shape them! 💜

The next pictures blow my mind. I was driving very slowly down the street when I saw a Christmas tree in a shop window. I stopped the car briefly and considered whether to park, get out, and step up to the window to take a photo. I am glad I did! When I got to the window, I realized there was no tree there at all — the display was comprised of dozens of strings, each holding one ball at various heights from the ceiling. The appearance of the "tree shape" was done artistically by varying the lengths of the strings! But from a distance, it certainly looks like a tree! 😮

Here, a cute little Gingerbread Man smiles and waves at us from the doorway to his charming home. 😊

I don't know if this is a real birdhouse displayed in a local shop, or whether it is merely a winter decoration designed to look like a birdhouse. But, I thought it was pretty. Somehow now in hindsight, it makes me think of our dear @beeber who passed on the day that this photo was made (although I had not heard the news at the time). I don't know if she was fond of birds or not, but somehow I think of her now when I look at it. 😢

This is the official "town tree" in one nearby town I visited last week. Santa and reindeer prepare the gifts for delivery, while three other reindeer wave and pose in the background. If one looks closely, the planet Venus appears as the "Evening Star" (Christmas Star) in the sky above! ✨

This is the "town tree" in another of the communities I visited. It was a lucky circumstance that the young couple happened to be standing beneath the tree as I took the photo. I think their presence adds a nice touch to the shot!

I thought these deer were lovely. A doe, a buck, and a fawn stand in front of a nearby house. If one looks closely, there are splashes of pretty colors on them — delicate shades of purple, pink, blue, and green, in addition to the small, white lights. The deer are much prettier than I was able to capture on my cellphone camera, but I did my best on two separate evenings with different lighting conditions.

There is a small amphitheater where 'live' music is sometimes performed during warmer weather. At the entrance to the venue along the main street, I found a lighted Santa playing a guitar! How appropriate! 💃

A local restaurant (now defunct, sadly) that had a swampy, New Orleans Cajun vibe had a fun display inside their now-empty storefront. Two skeletons sitting on a bench beside a Christmas tree. On the floor is a skeleton of a dog, clutching a bone in his mouth, and two skeleton children are sitting beside him. It's a hilarious thing to see, and was quite a surprise to stumble upon this! 😂

In front of one of the police stations, I saw this delightful display! An officer has nabbed a thief with a bag of loot. Even though the officer is holding the thief off the ground by the scruff of his neck, the thief is still trying to run away. Meanwhile, the light atop the police car flashes on and off. I though this was such a clever thing, and nicely done, too! 😁 I made a video of it with my cellphone to capture the simulated "action" of the scene, then assembled the GIF from stills in the video, using JASC^® AnimationShop™ software.

Thanks for tagging along with me as we toured the lights and decorations! I hope each of my readers has a very HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR with blessings and joy in abundance! 💖