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Friday, December 23, 2011

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

At this time of the year I'm usually here whinging about the weather.
How hot and steamy it is
and that I'd rather be somewhere else
..... preferably somewhere cold and snowy....
and because of the heat I usually don't enjoy Christmas.
Even with the aircon going it struggles with a house full of hot bodies ( usually around 20 ) who go in and out the door to the garden room and let the hot air in.

However this year the weather is just about perfect for me.
Warm but not hot, a little sun and a little rain that keeps the temperature down to around 28C in the day and down to cool nights of about 20C.

So on a lovely Summer night in the days before Christmas there is nothing nicer to do than go and look at Christmas lights ...

on  houses .



In recent years more and more houses are being decorated with Christmas lights.
People often start with a few and add to them every year.
The fact that you can buy LED lights that are solar powered means that huge electricity need not be the result either.


Last night Tony and I set off after tea with the addresses of all the houses in this year's Christmas Lights Competition.
Brisbane is a large sprawling city spread out over a huge area so there was no possibility of looking at many. We decided to drive to a neighbouring suburb where we once lived and look at a few in that neighbourhood.
I have to tell you that they were outstanding.


The owners must have been working for weeks/ months to get these displays ready.
Lots of families were out looking too and the City Council provides buses to take people to see the lights so at times there were traffic jams while these buses were trying to wind their way through narrow suburban streets choked with families out to enjoy the spectacle.

Christmas carols were playing and the mobile ice-cream vans were doing a roaring trade while wide eyed littlies in prams and on foot decked out in Santa hats were enjoying the balmy night air way past their bedtimes.

Our final stop was at an amazing house where the lights and music were synchronised in an absolutely breath taking display.


The house was on a corner and opposite there was a wide section of grassed footpath where chairs had been set out so that older viewers could sit and watch the display.


The music played from a portable tape recorder set on a stool by a neighbour's fence and went for about half an hour before repeating itself.

Tony filmed it but try as I might I cannot load it to Blogger, so I found this on YouTube so you can get the idea. 


I'll leave yo tonight with another Aussie Christmas card.



Cheers.

9 comments:

  1. Stunning photos Helen and I'm glad to hear that with solar power it's not costing the earth either. Not much chance of solar powered anything here today as it is pouring with rain! I have forgotten what 28 degrees feels like and must admit that 20 at night would be a bit warm for me! Have a peaceful and happy Christmas and don't feel sad because you aren't here for a white Christmas as we are not going to have one either! I'd happily swap for some sunshine just now.

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  2. What great pictures! It reminds me of walking round the neighborhood with my grandmother looking at lights when I was young. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

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  3. Very impressive. I had to smile at the "...ice-cream van doing a roaring trade". Here, I have to contend with scraping ice of my car windscreen!
    Cheers Bernard
    ps By the way, I don't try to upload to blogger anymore. I upload to YouTube and then link to my blog. YT is by far better quality.

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  4. well I just love santa with his koala bear helpers!

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  5. Amazing lights! Perhaps you and Tony will join the competition next year with a display to befuddle your neighbours' minds. Perhaps a giant iluminated nativity scene with Tony descending on a zip line dressed as the Angel of the Lord?

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  6. Fantastic photos! I have never been out to see the lights, maybe next year I will!

    I agree.... perfect weather for a pleasant Christmas. We are heading off to Oakey today and hoping for a really cool Xmas Eve and Xmas Day. I've packed for every possibility as one year we were up there and froze our %^&&* off!

    Merry Christmas!

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  7. christmas led lights provided, however, the fact that there is minimal production of heat is also very crucial in mind.

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  8. OK, the mobile ice cream vans playing Christmas music to my mind's eye is probably the strangest Christmas image to my Northern hemisphere view point.

    But the lights look a lot like they do here. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Un-Frign'-Be-Le-Vable light show. You all sure know how to do it. Hope you and Tony had a very nice Christmas. Still trying to get caught up with everyone. Great last couple of posts.

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