One of my fondest childhood holiday memories is getting snuggly in the car, Christmas music blaring from the tape player, riding around listening to mom yell at dad to slow down, and taking in all the holiday beauty around us. I cannot remember the first time we did this, but I know it was a tradition I looked forward to each Christmas season. After we took our ride around the neighborhood, we headed towards St. Anne Catholic Church in Pensacola, where there was a magnificent display of Christmas lights, and to a child, it seemed as large and grand as Disney World.
I would wind through all the paths, pointing out the lit designs, trees, and bushes. Skipping and twirling through the vast archways of twinkling lights, sometimes closing my eyes as I tried to feel the magic around me. We would end the tour at the chapel, where we would light a candle, and on our way out, we would stop to get a little hot chocolate for the walk back to the car.
Who knew a simple holiday delight would monumentally affect my life? It paved the traditions of my own family as I grew older. My love for light is so wild that I put my Christmas tree up by October 31st every year. My reason is simple – the longer I can take in the twinkling of the lights, the happier my heart feels.
I love turning off all the lights in the house and just staring at the Christmas tree lights and crying; when I shared this with friends, they asked me if I was crazy. It doesn’t matter what season of life I am walking through; they can be tears of joy, sadness, mourning the loss of loved ones or pets, the feeling of nostalgia for a sweeter time, or even feelings of rejoicing in the hopes of beautiful and full days to come. There is just something with those bright little lights that brings my soul indescribable happiness.
My love for light drives my inspiration in my photography work. So when my son began showing an interest in photography, I knew we had to have a little date to look at Christmas lights and photograph them together. I often take my photography way too seriously and don’t go back and play because it’s not technically correct. But this week, I challenged myself to put my lens in the manual and focus on each shot by hand. Oh, my heavens, the images with bokeh were just so beautiful. Below are some photos I snapped from the Christmas Reflections in Defuniak Springs at the Lake.
And to round this out – look at this PRECIOUS TRAIN CAR….ugh, I loved it so much.
