Tag Archives: holiday lights

Family Travel: Festive Christmas Displays

Last weekend my family traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to take in the city’s spectacular Christmas displays. My kindergartner squealed with delight at the botanical garden’s annual gingerbread mansion and holiday train show. She was equally thrilled when we headed over to the State Capitol building’s rotunda to view the stunning 60-foot Christmas tree decorated with thousands of twinkling lights and handmade ornaments. Finally, her jaw dropped when we got to the city’s popular outdoor Festival of Lights event featuring more than 250,000 colorful Christmas lights strung on elaborate moving displays. It was a great way to get into the Christmas … Continue reading →

More Ideas for Holiday Family Fun—Christmas Light Displays

My preschooler squealed with delight as we drove through our city’s downtown area yesterday. Crews were busy stringing lights, trimming trees and hoisting the gigantic Christmas angel above Main Street. The countdown to Christmas is on and my daughter couldn’t be happier. While most of us are still eating Halloween candy, there are some communities that are moving full steam ahead with their holiday light displays. While the vast majority of Christmas displays don’t start until December, there are a few places where you can take in the festive sights right now. The Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, … Continue reading →

The Most Amazing Holiday Light Displays

This weekend we are planning a trip to our local botanical garden to check out their holiday light show. It’s a Christmastime tradition in our family and my daughter can’t wait to climb on the horse drawn wagon again this year and take in the high-wattage spectacle. Each year the Green Bay Botanical Garden hosts a Festival of Lights. Even when it’s well below zero hearty Wisconsinites stroll the gardens to see more than 200,000 lights made to look like flowers, butterflies and babbling brooks. This year we are looking forward to seeing the new additions, including a giant dragon … Continue reading →

An Eel-Powered Holiday

Worried about rising energy costs and a big electric bill after the holidays? Lighting a tree may not put a huge dent in your wallet but you can do it for free if you have the right equipment — an electric eel. Japanese inventor Kazuhiko Minawa spent a month working on a system that would collect energy from an electric eel. The Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium in Kakamigahara provided the eel and the tree; the eel provides the energy. Thanks to Minawa, it’s an eel powered Christmas for the aquarium. The aquarium is calling it the “e-tree” — E for … Continue reading →

Affordable Holiday Travel—Touring Department Store Window Displays

I recently blogged about one my family’s favorite holiday rituals—-driving to Chicago to take in the spectacular holiday window displays at Macy’s on State Street. Each year the famous department store chooses a theme and fills their massive windows with intricate decorations and kid friendly animated characters. People line up for blocks and brave the vicious winds whipping off of Lake Michigan to take part in this annual holiday tradition. If I wasn’t one of the lemmings who took part in the event myself I’d surely think the people who stood in line for more than an hour to peer … Continue reading →

In Search of Spectacular Holiday Light Displays—Part 2

You’d have to be a real Grinch not to enjoy seeing thousands of twinkling lights illuminate a cold dark winter’s night. Heck, half my neighborhood is already awash in holiday wattage. I’m not kidding. There’s even one house a few streets down that has two inflatable snowmen in the yard and the cutest display of mini-Christmas tree lights bordering its walkway, but on the front porch sits five pumpkins a haystack and two corn stalks. If you don’t feel like going all out to string lights around your own home then pack up the kids and hit the highway. Hundreds … Continue reading →

Traveling the Country in Search of Spectacular Holiday Light Displays

How far would you travel to view an out of this world dazzling holiday light display? We can’t all make it to New York for the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. And I would bet there are some of us who won’t be caravanning to Iowa to take in the much buzzed about holiday display there. But, don’t don your scrooge scruffies just yet; hundreds of cities across the nation are decking their halls in time for St. Nick’s visit. The following are some holiday standouts: WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place December … Continue reading →