There are those who complain about people who festoon their homes with Christmas decorations well before Thanksgiving. Not me. I love seeing holiday lights twinkling on cold, gloomy days when the sun is already setting at 4 in the afternoon. Our neighborhood, nay, the entire downtown area is sparkling with seasonal wattage. (It could be because our local holiday parade takes place tomorrow night.)
And we’re not the only ones. Cities from coast to coast have their holiday light displays up and running. From Florida to Denver, Chicago to California, America is wired to host holiday travelers who love viewing spectacular sparkling seasonal scenes like these:
NEW YORK
The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held for the 75th time on November 28th from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rockefeller Center. This year’s star-studded pre-lighting concert includes performances by Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale and Carrie Underwood. The tree remains on display until January 6th.
FLORIDA
For the first time in history, Walt Disney World Resort has wired Cinderella’s Castle with 200,000 energy efficient lights. The tiny white sparklers are draped all over the castle as part of Cinderella’s Holiday Wish show, which kicked off this evening and runs nightly through January 6th.
PHILADELPHIA
Last week the city unveiled a new addition to its “More Holiday Fun” campaign. It has supplemented its annual lighting traditions in the Center City district with a new temporary art project that illuminates five iconic buildings along South Broad Street. Also, City Hall, Love Park, Rittenhouse Square and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are all getting decked out for the holidays. They will join Macy’s in the Wanamaker Building, which is presenting its 52nd annual Holiday Light Show from December 23rd through December 31st.
COLORADO and ILLINOIS
This year the cities of Denver, Colorado and Bolingbrook, Illinois are hosting the Symphony in Lights show, featuring 250,000-plus colored LED lights coordinated to the holiday tunes of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In Denver you can visit the show at The Shops at Northfield Stapleton beginning this Saturday and in Bolingbrook you can take in the display at the new Promenade beginning Sunday. Shows in both locations last about 15 minutes and run every hour on the hour from 6 to 9 p.m. through December 31st.
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