Christmas Lights in the US and the UK

*feel free just to look at the picture, I couldn't help myself. And yes I clearly do spend too much time thinking about fairy lights*

I'm starting to want to do a PhD in fairy lights, wouldn't that be awesome? on second thoughts maybe it would kind of take the fun out of it! I was going to give this blog the title "A critical comparative analysis of Fairy Light displays based on a 'better' than typical street in the USA and UK" but thought better of it. I have the benefit of coming from a family who enjoy fairy lights and a number of houses in my parent's road, Ilges Lane in Cholsey (Oxfordshire), always decorate. I thought therefore it would be kind of fun to compare their road with an Seattle Street (Candy Cane Lane, aka NE Park Rd).

There are many standards by which one could judge a fairy light display and in writing this short comparison I intend to explore a few questions. First, what makes a light display that look 'good'? This is rather subjective but one can discuss features like; use of architecture, use of garden/yard space, effectiveness in daylight, and finally is there synergy? Which is one of my all time favourite words and concepts, it means "the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts". Secondly, I want to ask the slightly more profound question; why decorate a street for Christmas at all? In line with this thought I'm going to think about who the lights benefit? the home owners, the visitors, or the wider community. Finally I'm going to delve into profound theological Christmas Street tie breaker; Which street would Mary and Joseph take Jesus too? Because I can't write a ridiculously pompous blog about Christmas lights without looking at the tension between celebrating the holiday and remembering what the holiday is about.

What make a light display look good? Unfortunately there isn't a lot you can do about the architecture of your house, unless you own a bull dozer and have several hundreds of thousands of pounds (of money not fairy lights) sitting around. The Candy Cane Lights may have an unfair advantage in this category. They are cute, high gabled, cookie cutter houses that all look a similar shape and size.They are also clad in wood. In contrast upper Ilges Lane (we aren't snobs it is in fact defined by the area at the top of a hill) is a mishmash of red brick tile boxes that are common in the UK.

The 'Cookie Cutter' architecture of Candy Cane Lane

Ilges Lane brick houses

Although some of the Ilges Lane houses do have nice gabbles!

Ilges Lane has a lot more space (yard, garden, weird strips of grass with complex ownership issues) than Candy Cane Lane which is both an advantage, more space for lights or being able to make use of the contrasting darkness, and disadvantage, more lights require to fill the space (no idea where the commas should go in that sentence).

Lots of space in the front gardens along Ilges lane for decorations

Candy Cane Lane signs to Elf's Workshop add to the ambiance.

As previously mentioned the inherent architecture of the Candy Cane Lane houses give them a definite advantage in a daylight most Christmassy competition, unfortunately I don't have any daylight photos. A number of houses also have decorations that work by day, and sign posts (as above). They also have drainpipe candy canes which helped me figure out I went past Candy Cane Lane on the bus every day. I think probably there best daylight feature is the merry-go-around on the round about. In comparison Ilges Lane looks fairly hum-drum on a moody English December day, on a sunny day the lights still twinkle and there are some decorations out (at least on my parents shrubs). Ilges Lane however wins the 'daylight' competition hands down thanks to the eccentricity of my wonderful parents who create a teddy bear scene in 'The Bear Box'. Every year is different, last year the Teddies were caroling but they complained it was too cold so this year Mum gave them a fire and an inside scene. Teddy Bears win every time.

Candy Cane Lane Merry-go-around, a good daylight feature

Ilges Lane 'Bear Box' is a big hit by day or by night!

Finally in this section I want to consider how well the houses work together to enhance each others displays. Candy Cane Lane house are more similar to each other than the Ilges lane houses. It is however also clear that some of the display is actually coordinated, different house have little plaques outside telling you which country they represent. They also use their roundabout (yes they exist in the US although in residential areas many people just ignore them and turn left) for a mini merry-go- round display. Ilges lane don't have an organised them it is every man for himself. I think therefore Candy Cane lane probably has better synergy but I personally think two is always better than one when it comes to lights.

The Candy Cane Lights fit nicely with their neighbours. 

Ilges Lane lights are a little less coordinated, but how coordinated do lights need to be?

Who are we doing this for? I suspect at least part of the answer to this is ourselves. If you don't take a fairly large amount of pleasure in fairy lights you aren't going to spend most of every weekend in October and November pulling the decorations down from the loft or out of the garage, checking all the lights work, replacing bulbs, untangling wires, and that's before you start hanging them in the freezy cold, or rain, and climbing ladders in gale force winds or risking your life on wet roof tiles. Putting up a Christmas light display is definitely a labour of love. Then on a rainy foggy night when you're on the way back from work you forget and turn into the street and there to greet you is several hundred households worth of lux. Suddenly the fact that you left the house at night and came back after the sun had set isn't quite as bad because at least you have the lights. Ilges Lane have a lighting up ceremony every year where each house turns their lights on, it is a nice thing to share with your immediate neighbours. Clearly the Candy Cane Laners also enjoy the lights themselves, otherwise they wouldn't do it.

Candy Cane Lane

Ilges Lane

What about other people? I'm sure Candy Cane Lane has a bigger audience, it is part of Seattle which is a very community responsible place, and obviously a large city. Contrast this with Cholsey which had a population of 3000 (according to the 2011 census), this may have gone up a little as they turned to old mental hospital (is there ever really a PC way to phrase that?) into condos (as the Americans say).   Also because Candy Cane Lane is part of a city people blog about it so you can find out when and where the lights are on. They have Santa visiting occasionally and make it a bit more than a light show. However the Ilges Lane usually begin their show at the start of the December, this year Candy Cane Lane lit up mid December so Candy Cane Lane may be spreading the Christmas light glow to more people but Ilges Lane is doing it for longer!

Ilges Lane

When it comes to people outside the immediate community who visit the street to see the display, I think Candy Cane Lane has the right idea, and found a neat solution to a problem we've had. In our house we've often talked about raising some money for Charity from the many people who visit the lights. We have had vandalism of our lights so a collecting box outside doesn't seem the best bet. In Seattle they collect money for charity at a nearby shop thus keeping is safe from casual thieves.

What Would Mary and Joseph Do? I imagine the idea of hundreds of strings of electric Christmas lights would seem fairly ridiculous to a small poor community oppressed by the Romans, two millennia ago in the middle east. God has a traditional affinity with light. The first commandment was 'let there be light'. He also doesn't have a problem with spectacular visual effect, he appeared as a burning bush for Moses, a pillar of cloud and fire to the Israelite fleeing Eygpt. Jesus' birth was announced to the wise men by a bright star and when the shepherds heard 'the glory of the Lord shone around them' and 'suddenly a great company of heavenly host appear...". Jesus is described as a light (as the rising sun) to shine on those living in darkness (this advent I've been learning Luke chapters 1-3). At the end of days there will be no shadow. In some ways a celebration with lights seems like an appropriate way to celebrate the coming of God's salvation. I guess the danger is that the pretty lights are another layer of glitz and dazzle that stop people thinking about what they are celebrating. Christmas may owe more to the pagan celebration of Solstice than the quiet arrival of a miracle baby two millenia ago but does that mean we should stop celebrating?

Gabriel would enjoy this Candy Cane Lane offering!

A star for the wise men

So which street would Mary and Joseph visit, well to start off with conceptually a pilgrimage from the Middle East to Middle Earth (Oxfordshire is The Shire) would be easier at the time of the birth of Christ, not sure how accessible the 'New' World was in those days. Neither street features a nativity (unless it is Teddy Bear stuffed) which I think Mary would find a little disappointing. The Wise Men would enjoy the tow Stars that shines over Ilges Lane and the Shepherds would appreciate the nearby fields suitable for grazing flocks.

Some nice pasture for the sheep

So the question is who wins? I think Candy Candy lane is more coordinated in their efforts than Ilges Lane and they do have some natural advantages, they also collect money for charity which is good and commendable. Ilges Lane have their lights up for longer but, though I don't know numbers, I suspect they have less visitors. However Candy Cane lane has nothing as intriguing or fun as 'The Bear Box' so like I said Teddy Bears always Win (but I might be biased!).

Candy Cane Lane

Christmas Day, the Reindeer's came back to Ilges Lane but Father Christmas was resting!

So lets end with the Teddies for luck!