Plus One: Dancing Christmas Lights in Minnesota

As we get a little bit closer to Christmas each day and as I do more posts on heavy duty Christmas light displays, I am more astounded each day at what I see. Today is no exception.

Tim and Cathy Fischer live in the suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Tim and Cathy are also light gurus. Through the use of my extraordinary Google Fu, I tracked down the Fischers' web site and I just knew I had stumbled upon something very special. The Fischers have tons and tons of information on their site not just about their Christmas light display, but links to other light gurus around the country, an FAQ section, the history of their display and several more links to a lot of other information. Give the site a look when you've got a little down time. You'll thank me later.

You'll want to click this link to view photos and this link to see videos of one of the best Christmas light displays ever! One of the, if not THE best, reasons Tim and Cathy go through so much hard work on their display each year, is that they simply love Christmas and it's true meaning. And...they just plain ole like doin' it! And, believe you me, their passion for Christmas shows in the intricate detail in the light show.

Don't just take my word for it, scoot on over to plymouthlights.com and see for your self. If you're lucky enough to have children or grand children around your house, they'll LOVE spending a little bit with Mom and/or Dad watching the Fischers' passion and dedication to their Christmas light display come to life!

Maine Minutiae: Free Skiing, Free Sleigh Rides and More in Bethel

Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord

I found this information regarding Christmas in Bethel just in time. There are plenty of activities planned for the Christmas season in Bethel, but the one that caught my attention is going on this weekend and I wanted to get the word out ASAP. This Sunday, December 5 is designated as Santa Sunday in Bethel! Santa Sunday takes place "at Sunday River Ski Resort. Skiers dressed as Santa and contributing $10 to the Rotary Club’s gift drive will receive free skiing and riding that day. Skiers must pre-register on line at www.sundayriver.com. An on-line contest will be held at www.bethelmaine.com to select the “head” Santa to lead the parade of Santas on the chairlift and skiing down the mountain. At 2 pm Sunday afternoon at the West Parish Congregational Church, the King’s Revels perform a cappella holiday music of the Renaissance, French chansons and madrigals." Thanks to prweb.com for that info.

Here's a brief list of scheduled events for this year's Christmas in Bethel celebration.:

Dec. 11 & 18:  Free horse-drawn wagon rides, 2-4pm on the Bethel Common.
Dec. 19:  Living Nativity on the Bethel common, Sunday, 5pm.

Did you notice the FREE horse-drawn wagon rides? I did, too. And the Living Nativity Scene sounds like a very spiritual thing to see.

Regardless of why you attend Christmas in Bethel, you're sure to find something right up your chimney. :)

Texas Tidbits: An Uncertain Christmas

Santa in the Swamps

Some places are so cool they merit mentioning on a regular basis. One such place is the town of Uncertain, Texas. I have brought up that name several times on this blog. For a little background, you can go here, here, and here, plus a couple of other places.

Today, however, we are a taking a look at Uncertain in a completely different light, as in Christmas lights. What is certain is that uncertain has one of the most unique and beautiful Christmas celebrations anywhere in Texas. Or the United States, for that matter. As you'll recall, Uncertain sits on the shores of one of the beautiful and mysterious lakes in the world, pre-historic-looking Caddo Lake. What makes this Christmas celebration so neat is that the locals put on a parade of boats that file by the crowd-lined shores of Caddo Lake. Uncertain is home to only a couple of hundred people, but residents from near-by towns also participate in this annual floatilla of Christmas-themed boats.

The Floating Christmas Parade takes place each year on the third Saturday of December. This year, if my math is correct, that would be the 18th with the start time at 2:00 PM. maybe I'll hear from my blog buddy n2l today. He's chock full of information on Caddo Lake and would certainly add to the "discussion". 

I have never attended the Floating Christmas Parade, but I would love to see it, with all the decorated boats and the splendor that is Caddo Lake on display for all to see. Of that I am not Uncertain.  :)