… that one street?
In my childhood, it was Raglan Street.
It was where all the rich people lived and it seemed like every house was lit up and decorated for the Christmas season. It was a family tradition to get into the car when it was very dark, scrape the ice off the inside of the back windows so that we could see out and then go for a drive to see everything.
It wasn’t like there weren’t lights in other places. We had lightbulbs around the front window of our house and my mother would always paint a winter scene on the window. My daughter tries to keep up the tradition.
But it didn’t seem like any other street in town had all of the houses decorated. On that one street, you could see it all!
We went for a drive to Kingsville last night to see the spectacular display at the park there. The winner for us was this one.
Of course, there had to be a wild goose theme. This is Jack Miner’s hood afterall.
Around here, you don’t have to drive to Kingsville though. We have our own River Lights where two of the downtown parks are done up magnificently. My favourite is the town fountain which, despite my picture, isn’t leaning in real life.
And, the Bright Lights Windsor display opened last night. Link and some pictures are available here.
It’s not just in the community. At my high school, you would end up being assigned to a Grade 9 home room and you’d grow with them from 10, 11, and 12. Annually, the student council would have a door decorating contest and we were all in on that. At least for Grade 9 and 10. It became less cool to do that once you got older! I don’t recall that we ever won but I remember kids (and me) bringing in old decorations and end of roll wrapping paper to do the door on B41. One year, we even had a string of lights.
Christmas displays aren’t necessarily about lights. I received an invitation to visit the Duff-Baby house from David Garlick.
I’m hoping that we can swing it.
Driving to Kingsville and back home, we were impressed with the lights that were on display everyone, even on farms. It was a far cry from the past. Lights were everywhere and it made for a quick drive.
Despite all this, there are still memories of that one street from a long time ago.
How about you? Any memories? Please share them in the comments below.
- growing up, or even now, was there that one street that was a must see?
- does your community have a light display that everyone wants to check out?
- how about your place? Do you decorate? Laser lights can be rough on a dog
- was it colder back then or have cars got better? I can’t remember the last time I had frost on the inside of my car
- do you make memorable trips to see the lights? As a kid, a biggie for us was to Victoria Park in London. These days, it’s the Dufferin Islands in Niagara Falls
Get into the holiday spirit and share some thoughts! And, a picture or two would be nice as well.
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doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.