when I was a kid, my parents and I (and sometimes by paternal grandparents, who lived in a nearby town) would drive to the county seat, about 15 miles away, to see people's outdoor light displays. Then we usually ended up either at an ice cream parlor that made all its own ice cream or at the truck stop for a night time breakfast.
I also remember the 11 p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight services at our church, with the big tree decorated in gold and poinsettias in the windows, and lots of music. When the pastor finished his Christmas blessing at midnight, an usher would pull the rope to ring the bell in the church steeple. We went home, had cocoa and cinnamon toast and put out cookies and cocoa for Santa.
As parents, Mike and I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and to the Festival of Lights in East Peoria. The light displays were huge and filled a whole park; you drove your car through the park to see all the wonderful creations. I think the festival is still going strong. I took my kids to the evening Christmas Eve service at the church we attended in Princeton. Again, lots of music (that church had some great voices in the choir) with cocoa and toast or cookies afterward.
I miss that stuff now that the kids are grown up and we have moved. Pueblo does have a couple of Christmas light parades in the area, and thzoo has the ElectriCritters light display that's nice.
Our parents would drive us around to ooooh and aaaah at all the Christmas lights. One particular house at the end of Swift Creek Rd. in Hartsville sticks out in mind. Cars would be lined up in front of this house every year. And every year the displays would grow larger and larger. By the time Kyle came along, you could actually circle the driveway and he had Christmas music playing. It was massive. I had heard that the city or electric company helped out with the electric bill during the Christmas season. Unfortunately, the gentleman passed away and there hasn't been anything like it since.
