Christmas Lights at Our House

Lights and lighted figures adorn the front porch and front yard of our house in Tennessee during the Christmas season.

It’s that time of year again, when we put up lights and festive decorations for the Christmas holidays. So here is a look at this year’s version, because each year is slightly different than the others. Most of what is there has been used before, but the things hanging from the porch (snowflakes on the left, large light bulbs on the right) are new this year, replacing some of the older lights that didn’t work any more.

Also this year, we added one of those laser projector things in the front yard to shine on the house. We got the kind that moves, so you can see some of the trails of the lights in this slightly long exposure. But they actually look much better in person when they are moving than in a still photo here, in case you were wondering. They also make interesting patterns inside the house as they are shining through the windows, too.

Mickey and Minnie over on the left have been around for a few years, although they do take some repair every now and then. The prismatic Christmas tree and presents next to them are pretty old, and every year we think that will be their last year, but they keep hanging on. Some years ago, I took a photo of those in the snow, and you can read about it in Christmas and Snow, but here is a small preview:

The Christmas tree on the front porch has been around for quite a while. Before we got it, it was the Christmas tree at Laura’s parents’ house, and it has found a new life on our front porch each year. It looks mostly the same, except for whatever colored lights we put over the pre-lit white lights. You can read more about that in Front Porch Christmas Tree, but here is a small preview of that one as well:

But perhaps the oldest thing there just might be the Mickey Mouse figure sitting next to the front porch Christmas tree. We really don’t have any idea of how old he is, because a friend rescued him from a trash pile somewhere and brought him to us.

When we got him, Mickey’s light was missing, but a quick trip to the store fixed that, so that now he glows with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp, singing his carols in his Dickens garb for all to see.

Our outside Christmas decorations may not be nearly as grand as what some people do. but they are just fine for us. It is always nice to come home to a happy Christmas house!

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will stand. - Proverbs 14:11

About the photo:

While I usually try to go outside at night to get a photo of our Christmas lights, that hasn’t happened this year. Either we get home too late and I don’t want to mess with it, or it is raining and I don’t want to get wet, or it is cold and I don’t want to freeze. So this year all I have done so far was to take this photo in the morning hours. It was a cloudy day so that there was no sun, and the clouds were keeping it somewhat dark. Thanks to some photo processing magic, the looks even more like night now than it did originally.

Here is a before-and-after look, showing the original cloudy daytime view and how it was transformed into something sort of resembling night:

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips. Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR Date: December 12, 2016 Location: Our house, Williston, Tennessee