Brookside Gardens’ Garden of Lights

Earlier this week my husband and I enjoyed a walk around Brookside Gardens’ Garden of Lights. We’ve always liked this display because it is experienced on foot rather than driving through it in a car. We don’t go every year and were surprised at how brilliant the colors are with the LED lights; they are quite an improvement over the older technology.  We arrived just as the display was opening at 5:30 PM. The sun had set more than a half hour earlier so it was already very dark. I enjoyed the ‘landscape’ of the garden in lights

And looking closer at the structure of some of the displays as well. Each flowers structure created takes many of the small lights – arranged to form the image.

Most of the displays are outdoors/nature themed although there are some fantasy elements too. Look at the slideshow below. Can you find a:

• Caterpillar
• Spider
• Rainbow
• Moon
• Campfire
• Sea serpent (and baby)
• Giraffe
• Coyote
• Fox
• Ent (from Lord of the Rings – in this garden it has big purple branches on a green trunk – two glowing eyes)
• Butterfly

Decorating for Christmas 2016

We decorated less than usual this Christmas since it will just be my husband and I for the holiday – before we have a flurry of activity with my daughter and son-in-law at the beginning of the year (him moving to Pittsburgh to start his post doc at University of Pittsburgh, both going off to conferences, and then coming back). Then my daughter will be traveling to give a talk at Penn State in February. Christmas will be low-key in comparison to what is planned for early 2017. We did put up the tree. I like the glow it has in the early morning when I come downstairs for breakfast.

The ornaments reflect a lot of our history – from the oldest ones (about 50 years)

To the newest (1-year-old – purchased at last year’s Natural Holiday Sale). I play a game with myself to notice different ornaments every morning.

I put up Christmas cards from years past on giant scrunchies that fit perfectly over doors (of the coat closet and the pantry)

And under a clear plastic table cloth on our table. We enjoy the variety of the images while we eat.

And that’s it for the decorations this year.