Do you remember taking drives to check out the Christmas lights?
Ah how times have changed...
As a kid, there were moments of excitement when the festive season approached. One of the things that we thoroughly enjoyed doing was taking drives to the city centre to see the holiday lights.
That was over and above decorating our homes and getting prepped for the holiday season with our freshly decorated Christmas tree. And true to tradition, many places have their own versions of celebrating the festive period.
That sense of tradition comes with character and leaves us feeling like we can connect even through what the pandemic has put us through. So when we heard about this cute new tradition, it reminded us of the street lights that would go up in central town during the festive period.
This town shuns snowflakes and bells and chooses to put up decorations that have been designed by school children.
"A tiny Scottish town which found fame last year for its "wonky" Christmas lights has added two new masterpieces. Their joyful collection boasts a two-legged "reinduck", a grumpy penguin and a dancing Christmas tree. Now two new illuminations have been added - a festive dinosaur and a pandemic-inspired rainbow." (BBC)
We thought this was such a cute story, especially because it goes by the premise of being led by the children's imaginations and their creativity. It is something authentic in nature and in doing so it creates community spirit.
The selected drawings and the tradition is an encouragement of sorts that will allow the children to experience Christmas in a positive way. The rainbow was looked upon as a symbol of hope during COVID-19 and the wonky dinosaur, embodied the festive feeling that runs through the town.
It's a great community project and the children all get very excited designing their entries and finding out who the winners are. It's a lovely tradition we have in the village, and it certainly makes our village feel extra festive. We're all looking forward to seeing the new designs!
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