a Dorchester tradition

Every year that we've lived in Dorchester (it's hard to believe, but we're already working on our fourth winter here), I've wanted to blog about the Christmas lights and decorations displayed by a house a few blocks away. But the end of the semester was always followed by a frantic week or two of catching up before we headed west each year not to return until after the New Year. This year, however, we stayed put and, maintaining a childhood tradition, drove around on Christmas eve to check out the neighborhood displays. But before we get to the house in question, here are some other highlights.

Check out these old-school chunky lights:


The snow on the streets was already, for the most part, looking like shaved ice with a little mud on top, but things did look picturesque in the twinkle of the Christmas lights:



And the grand finale:


I don't think these images do justice to the insane display these folks put on each year. The front of the house, all the way across the lawn to the fence near the sidewalk, is completely covered in lights and other holiday paraphernalia. It's nuts.


I'm not sure I'd ever go all out like this, but you have to give them an A+ for effort. Honestly, some people are so lazy with their decorations, you have to wonder why they bother. We passed one house with a string of lights haphazardly wrapped around a flower box. That was it. If we were grading on a curve, they definitely would have failed miserably.