Monday, November 27, 2006

It's beginning...

My, news has been rather slow around here as of late. Local bloggers have either been dormant or shifted focus to matters beyond Howard County, while newspaper scribes are busy trying to keep post-election politics interesting or, oddly, sharing stories about their own exercising experiences (perhaps a subtle hint to some of us).

So, into this news vacuum I tread, soreness be damned (with each passing year, the annual Turkey Bowl football game gets a little harder to recover from). Below are a few short and hopefully substantive posts, but for the remainder of this one, I’d like to submit a request.

Some friends were talking this weekend about driving around Howard County to look at Christmas lights. And while there's always the Symphony of Lights, they (and I) were more interested in seeing what our neighbors have done. But, the county's a pretty big place and just heading out willy-nilly probably isn't the best approach.

Of all people, Abbzug, my wife, said the local papers should compile a list of particularly bright streets or neighborhoods to use as a starting point for those seeking free light shows. I was offended that she would defer such a task to "the papers," and decided to take her up on the challenge.

But since I don't get around much, I really have no idea where any good spots are. My parents' old neighborhood is a good place to start and I'm planning a light extravaganza for our house that is sure to annoy the neighbors (my tackiness knows no bounds), but beyond those, I'm lost.

So, I'm asking you, the readers, to help me and my friends in our quest for Christmas kitsch. Do you know of any houses, streets or neighborhoods where holiday displays are worth the trip? I know Howard County lacks a "34th Street," but there must be a few other shameless crazies like me willing to spend lots of time (and/or money) on decorations with a shelf-life of little more than a month.

Leave your suggestions in the comments section or send them to me in an email. If demand warrants, I'll post a summary of the recommendations in a week or two. Also, feel free to send pictures of your house. If I get a some good ones, I'll post them (with the homeowner's permission, of course).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Durham Road East in Beaverbrook off 108 usually has a home with an incredible display.

Rejoice while you can, expressions of Peace on Earth are ironically banned some places. Thankfully, similar displays are still welcome in Columbia.

Another display, along Centennial Lane, unfortunately neither festive nor seasonal, is the counter of U.S. troops lost to date in this current deployment.

Perhaps a display we can all enjoy without disagreement is the vivid winter starscape on a crisp cool night in a field far away from terrestrial light.

Anonymous said...

in high school, my friends parents always spelled out "PEACE" with lights on the front of their house. i'd bet they still do. Its on Shaker Drive right by the Kings Contrivance restaurant. I think their neighbor also always had plastic lawn decorations.

Anonymous said...

Savage Guilford Road in Savage (and some of the sidestreets) is always lit up like a, well, like a Christmas tree from one end of the town to the other. It's so bright, driving through at night is almost like driving through in the daytime.