Magical Wonderland of Lights

December is here, and that means that everyone is pumped for either Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.  Or maybe you're feeling Festivus or another holiday that I'm not quite aware of.  Regardless of what you celebrate at this time of the year, one thing you're bound to see wherever you go is Christmas lights.  They adorn homes, get thrown up into trees, and even get strung over stoplights to create the most magical sight you've ever seen as you drive past or through a town.

Back when I was a young lad, my parents would take my sister and I over to the small community of Mountain Iron and we would drive around the newer addition on the south end of town off of Highway 7 (the name escapes me).  This is where the community went all out in Mountain Iron to my knowledge, and most of (if not all of) the homes were decorated in bright lights of many colors of the rainbow.  After that, we'd head over to Olcott Park in Virginia, where the bigger light displays were set up in a manner akin to what Duluth attraction Bentleyville was when it was still located out by Clouqet back in 2005.  It was one of the best things during the Holiday season for me.

People really know how to get creative with their holiday light displays.  Over the years, I've seen a lit up snowman at least ten to twelve feet tall (Stebner Road in Hermantown), a trampoline on it's side decorated with a wreath that I think is still chilling there today long after the homeowner sadly passed on (Central Lakes), and even a very festive German style Christmas for the annual celebration of Weinahcsfest (wonderful Downtown Biwabik).  It's amazing to see what people can do for the holiday season with their creativity.  To just let your imagination run so beautifully wild is a gift.

My all time favorite light display is on Park Point in Duluth.  The whole point is decorated in lights at this time of the year, but the one who puts a lot of heart and soul into her display is homeowner Marcia Hale.  Starting in 1998, she first worked on this with her husband, and then by herself for a while after her husband left the Earth.  2016 looked to be the last year that the lights would be up, but then several members of the Duluth community stepped up and now the display continues on.  This year will mark twenty years that the lights have been up.

To me, Marcia Hale's display is what Bentleyville used to be before it moved to Duluth in 2009.  It's small and filled with personable stories and displays truly set up and installed by hand, with careful thought and craft in each one.  Every little display tells some type of story about life that warms the hearts of all who are there, and the music plays to set it to a nice little soundtrack.  Plus, if you go down onto the beaches of Park Point there's a cool little driftwood display, and a few small light projectors put dazzling green lights onto the beach.  Neat isn't it?

Fargo has a few places to go look at Christmas lights, and Bemidji even puts on a Parade of Homes to go and look at the lights via a self-guided Google Maps tour.  But to me, there's nothing better than looking at the lights back home, and remembering my childhood.

So this year when you're looking at the lights, embrace and enjoy.  Maybe even feel a little magical?  Hmmm perhaps that's a little too far-fetched, but I still hope you enjoy them just the same.