Front Porch Christmas Lights
The Christmas tree on our front porch glows with lights. And there are other lights around the porch as well. Why not be festive for the holidays?
Even though we live so far off the road that most people driving down the street do not see our house and our Christmas lights, we get to see them, and they make us happy. Plus, the occasional delivery driver might see them, too. And the deer that wander through the yard can see them as well.
Do deer like Christmas lights? I just looked it up, and in case you are wondering, deer are not completely colorblind. But they only see blues and greens, and not reds and oranges. So our Christmas lights probably look a little bland to them. However, I have yet to hear them complain, so that is a good thing.
Not Judging
I am not judging anyone, because I know people have all kinds of things going on in their lives, most of which I know nothing about. And good for them for being able to cope with all life has thrown at them.
However, I have noticed that there are not as many houses decorated in our area this year as there have been in the past. So it does make me wonder what might be going on.
Two houses near us have put up lots of lights for years, almost as though they were having their own little Christmas light war. But this year, neither house has any lights up. Strange, right? Maybe they moved and different people live there now. Maybe the kids grew up and moved out, and they had always just decorated for the kids. Perhaps life just got too busy and neither family was able to decorate. Or maybe aliens came along and teleported all of their wonderful Christmas lights away to use on their own home on the planet Xrafc, leaving these people without lights of their own.
Laura and I were talking about it as we were driving home recently, and we decided to keep putting up Christmas lights, both inside and outside, for as long as we possibly can. It makes things seem so much more festive for us, and it adds some brightness to cold, dark December days, too.
But if you choose not to put up any Christmas lights and decorations, that is okay, too. Just as long as aliens haven’t taken them.
“She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21
About the Photo
To be honest here, this photo involved a bit of digital manipulation. By the time I got outside one recent morning to take this photo, it was already brighter out than I intended. The smart thing to do would have been to wait until nighttime, but whoever said I was smart?
Instead, I used two versions of the photo from the original Raw file, one lighter and one darker. I masked in the Christmas tree from the lighter photo, so that it would stand out against the somewhat dark background. That darker exposure also let the lights around the columns and hung from the roof to be seen better. A little extra work, but it turned out well in the end.
Photo: A single JPG exposure, processed in GIMP and Raw Therapee. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: December 16, 2022
Location: Williston, Tennessee
