National Lampoon's Christmas

I'm pretty sure I married Clark Griswald.

Every year, on Black Friday, when I am out shopping all the fabulous door-busters, my dear hubby is busy hanging Christmas lights from every orifice of our house.

This year, he started early. By mid-November, he had strung over 10,000 lights from every tree, branch, gutter, shingle, and deck post.

This isn't something he takes lightly. There are charts, maps, blueprints, and electrical grids involved. He actually starts plotting his course of action in the summer so that come winter he is fully prepared.

We have Polar Bear Ski Lodge, Snow-man Alley, Penguin Playland, Grazing Deer Acres, Santa's Workshop, The Polar Express Train, and enough sparkly tress to rival the Redwood Forest.

This year, he has outdone himself. He has set the lights to music. Yes folks, if you drive by our house and tune your am radio to 95.5, you will get an explosion of lights and music that rivals the Christmas Show at Rockefeller Center.

My favorite has to be Carol of the Bells. It is a fast-paced song that makes the lights go all strobe-ey, and the kids sing along with "Give-A-Give-A-Give-A-Garmin."

And Proud Paco watches with awe.

The truly funny part is that we live in the country. Our only neighbors are relatives. I think there are a total of 12 houses on our road and we are all about a 1/4 mile apart. And the neighbors that we aren't related to are mostly free-range hippies that complain about our carbon footprint. (If they could only see the smoke and sparks coming from our electric meter! oy.)

But that doesn't stop Paco. He plots, plans, and shops the after-Christmas sales to add to his ever-growing project. He is like a kid again. And his excitement and enthusiasm are truly contagious.

I invite you all to drive out and take a look. Feel free to stop in for Hot Cocoa and Hot-Toddies. We would love to have you. And if you can't make it, never fear... we are now visible from outer space.