After a quick trip to Boulder, looking for something I hadn't been able to source locally, I just randomly failed to drive straight home. Instead I wound through several old town neighborhoods, looking at Christmas lights. Weird, right? I could have gone on the big arterial roads quickly to the house, and fed the animals on time. But in passing the 60-80 year old houses facing a golf course, I got distracted by three houses in a row with lights on. I drove on by, but the whole time I debated with myself whether it would be weird to circle the block, come back, and try to take a photo. Eventually the argument was won in favor of circling around. I thought maybe if I turned off my headlights it would seem less creepy, if someone looked outside. I don't think it made a bit of difference in the quality of the picture. It didn't look anything like the romanticized feeling it evoked on the first passage.
Once I'd stopped at one house, I had to drive around seeking others to capture digitally. I saw dozens of houses that made me feel good, but not a one where I felt comfortable enough to take properly framed and lit pictures. I am particularly attracted to early 20th century houses with big porches, and big windows on them, revealing a big tree festooned with lights. It is even better when some of the windows have a thin bevel around the edges. (That must be a holdover from childhood, like child me thought leaded glass windows on a hundred year old house was the epitome of class and old money.) I wanted to go super slow and look at everyone's trees, but there were other cars on the road besides mine. I had to keep moving.
There was one other house where I just had to circle around and get proof that it existed. I can't tell whether these are really Christmas lights, or did they just leave their Halloween decorations up. You'll see where my confusion lies. (Now I kind of want to meet these people.)
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