light up the night

Posted on annePosted in book reviews/events

once halloween has passed each year, we all begin to speculate about what our neighbor bret will cook up for his christmas display. by all, i mean the various friends and students who come and go at my house, where, from across the street, we own the best seats on the block for viewing his efforts.

and now i’ve got the blog hooked on it too—several weeks in advance, i start getting hopeful email and comments, asking if i’ll be sharing photos of bret’s decorations this year.

and the answer is of course i will—it is a much-anticipated blog event and i wouldn’t miss it for the world.

and so, without further ado, i bring you

bret’s christmas house, 2010.
i really do think he’s outdone himself this year.

with such a blaze of light, i had no problem getting clear, well-lit shots within the twenty or so feet between the sidewalk and his front door.

i like to pick a route through the maze of colorful figures and lighted objects, then explore every square foot on either side of my path so as not to miss a thing. this time, i started at the walk to the front door

where i had a panoramic view across the whole front plot

i took a left just before hitting the stoop and there i found a trio of impish elves, climbing up to the porch from the elf bus, which just pulled up from the north pole

these are new this year, crafted by bret during the break between november 1 and december 15th. they are life-sized, i think—i’m not really sure how big elves are, but these seem about right.

just past the elves, a few reindeer can be found grazing amid bret’s planting beds

(i found these fascinating—they are made from the same sort of fuzzy stuff a doormat is made of, but longer and it’s such an effective treatment)

hmm, reindeer and elves . . . that could only mean one thing—an even MORE notable personage cannot be far away. and sure enough, when i look up to my right

there’s santa in all his glory. and not just any santa either—he’s a dancing santa. he is set in motion by movements across the porch.
the kids just love him.

obviously, bret thinks very highly of santa—he’s wreathed with so many lights, garlands and hand-crafted wood ornaments, it’s a wonder he’s not camera shy. like deer in the headlights, i can hardly take my eyes off him.

but eventually i do, only to discover that further on, there is more. a candy cane lane surrounds this blue tree of lights with snowmen looking on from afar

and at the very corner, this lovely mama reindeer and her little baby stand guard over the southerly entrance (you can come into the yard from either direction)

one last look over my shoulder and off i go—i knew you were waiting for some last minute holiday cheer, from my street to yours.

happy holidays!

ps: i finished my knitting at 2am this morning and put the final stitches and steaming on it at 3 pm today, with plenty of time to wrap and place it under the tree before david got up—i told you he was a late sleeper, haha.
i’ll show you blow-by-blow photos of the last minute rush tomorrow—now it’s time to open our gifts!

32 thoughts on “light up the night”

  2. Oh, you lucky girl, to live across from that! It would make my heart sing, thanks so much for sharing.
    Merry Christmas to both you and David!! 🙂

  5. thanks for sharing the light display! Bret does an outstanding display! Wow – David is quite the night owl – all worked out for his gift – can’t wait to see the final product.

    I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

  7. I think my favorite part is the simplest – the little lights and ornaments on the tree. But it’s all very pretty!

    Merry Christmas!

  9. How wonderful! Thank you so much for posting it and please pass on thanks to Bret for putting together such a fun display! 🙂

  10. Loved the pictures of Bret’s decorations. So glad you finished David’s sweater in time. Wow, that was cutting it close!

  12. I was scrolling…and scrolling…and scrolling to find out if you got the sweater done. Congratulations on crossing the finish line! I did one like that for my mom this year, though not quite as last minute as you. Our drive to my parents was consumed with seaming, buttonbands, and sewing on buttons. Hopefully David is as happy with his as my mom was with hers.

  13. Wishing you and David a blessed and merry Christmas and all the best for the new year.
    Much love to you both,
    Alvine

  15. Merry Christmas! Thanks for the annual photos of Bret’s decorating display, I look forward to them.

  16. Merry Christmas Anne and David! thank you for sharing the Christmas display pics again and congrats on finishing David’s sweater with time and yarn to spare!

  17. lights, i love the holiday lights…especially when mixed with natural elements. Lol, our home is nothing compared to your neighbors yet it is that house in the area, cars always stopping out front. Funny how i always did the house lights till we moved here and hubby got into it! happy yule!

  18. Fabulous! I especially like those first two photos with the lights and baubles strung throughout the branches. Truly magical! Thanks so much for sharing. So pleased that you finished your Christmas jumper! Happy holidays to you both!

  21. Who can resist a dancing Santa? Brett’s decorations are wonderful! People used to do this in my hometown, but not where I live now so these pics bring back lots of memories for me. Many thanks!

    Happy Christmas, Anne and David!

    PS/Looking forward to the photos of David’s sweater 🙂

  23. Happy Boxing Day (OK, a belated Merry Christmas!). Thank you for the pictures –I’ve forwarded them to my son, an Army Major, currently in Afghanistan. We’ll get him home soon but please tell Bret he brought the cheer of the season to one soldier. Thank you Anne.

  27. Glad you got your sweater done lol and of course loved the neighbor’s decorations. But I wonder — can they get in their front door or do they have to use another door rofl!

  28. I love love love those decorations. Every neighborhood needs someone to be over the top that way. Glad the sweater was finished (would that were true for my Christmas knitting, but, hey, I have till Jan 6…) and I know for sure you had a wonderful holiday.

  29. Belated Christmas wishes! Thanks for the pictures of your neighbors house-looks like he out did Clark Griswold again.

  30. That house is amazing. We’d drive an hour out of our way with a big thermos of hot chocolate to see a house like that. Wonderful.

  31. Congratulations on finishing in time — you are amazing!! I can’t wait to see the finished product, modelled in all of its glory. 🙂 And speaking of glory, my big question is whether Bret knows that he’s an Internet phenomenon?

  32. I really like the decorated tree. That’s a wonderful idea to take a normal tree and decorate it with Christmas ornaments.
    This kind of house decoration is still a bit much for my eyes, but many times better than what I can sometimes see here. Because Bret seems to put a lot of thought and dedication into his work. May greetings to you and him from across the pond.

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