Monday, December 21, 2009
While Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in Their Heads
By Guest Blogger Carrie Russell
Ever wonder what exactly visions of sugar plums dancing would look like? Well, wonder no more my friends! The weather outside may be frightful… but do I have a delightful outing for you to embark on this next week!
Make a pot of hot chocolate, bundle up, and head on out to Sunset Hills in Greensboro. This quaint neighborhood full of the most charming homes, has created a tradition called the Lighted Christmas Balls.
Known by me and my little ones as “the sugar plum neighborhood” because this is exactly what visions of sugar plums dancing in my head look like! It is absolutely breathtaking! If you still aren’t in the Christmas spirit (come on…only 4 more days!), take just one drive through Sunset Hills and I promise you will leave with a smile on your face.
I highly recommend grabbing the hot cocoa, playing your favorite Christmas music, and blasting the heat as you drive through. And just enjoy the magic of the lights! It isn’t a very walkable area (not all streets have sidewalks) so I would keep little ones in the car and just drive through.
Also, bring a few canned goods. The folks in Sunset Hills who coordinate this huge neighborhood effort collect non-perishables that will all be donated to Urban Ministry and 2nd Harvest Food Bank. You can find out more about the Lighted Christmas Balls and the food drive in Sunset Hills here.
The best way to get to the Lighted Christmas Balls is to head to Ridgeway just off of Friendly Avenue. Take Ridgeway all the way down to Market, then weave in and out the side streets enjoying the magical skies! The lights are on every night.
My family makes a point to travel through as often as we can, even if we are just out running an errand or on our way home from dinner. You can spend 30 minutes driving through or make a quick hop through a few streets if short on time. But you won’t want to miss this!
So what is a Lighted Christmas ball, you ask? It is a big ball of chicken wire, wrapped in Christmas lights, then creatively hoisted into the air with and cables, ropes and extension cords. It is quite a laughable site during the day to see the ingenious ways they got these balls up there, but at night .. WOW...are you in for a treat!
Enjoy the magic!
Sounds like so much fun! Thank you, Carrie, for the Smarty Scoop! Carrie also has her own blog at www.littlellamas.blogspot.com. Check it out! ... Rachel H
5 comments:
I never knew this existed until hearing it from you, Carrie. We visit Tanglewood Festival of Lights every year, and I have always said that there should be more places like it. I am happy to know we have a new place to visit now to see the lights! :)
We love visiting this each Christmas. This neighborhood really puts on an incredible and beautiful show! It's a Greensboro tradition now!
we went and saw these yesterday evening just beautiful but my honey was driving and we didnt actually drive threw the whole neighborhood but definitely a pretty sight. thanks for sharing.
*jessica-Triad Mommy*
Oooooh good to know! When I was growing up in Southern California there was such a neighborhood that we called "Candy Cane Lane." So fun.
The Sunset Hills neighborhood is great. Piedmont Parent polled its readers and has some more good (free) lights displays in neighborhoods around the Triad. Check it out here:
http://www.piedmontparent.com/SpecialTopics/holidayfestivals2009.aspx
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