Lighting up for Christmas

My favorite parts of Christmas are the music and the lights.  When I was a child, my family would take Sunday afternoon drives around town to look at the all holiday decorations.  I believe that tradition sparked my life long love of Christmas lights.

In downtown Northport, the focal point of the lighting is the huge Christmas tree located on Nagonaba Street at the intersection of Waukazoo.  The tree is so large that it can be seen from several vantage points throughout the village, including when making the turns from M-201 into the village.

Merchants have decked out their businesses in holiday splendor too.  Here the Tamarack Gallery in Omena is resplendent with pink window dressings.

This Northport merchant has wrapped a tree outside her store in tiny white lights and has hung glittering balls from its limbs.

But my biggest surprise came when I drove towards the marina to turn around and head back through the village.  I saw the gazebo had been decked out in lights and even had its own Christmas tree in the center.  

Homes and yards throughout the village are festooned with lights also.  It seems weird, however, to have all these lights without any snow.  On Thursday I drove to Traverse City and my car's exterior temperature gauge read 55.  On December 10!

I have to wonder whether there is some correlation between all these gorgeous light displays and the unseasonably warm late fall days we're having.  As I was purchasing more lights for my own yard, the clerk in the hardware store said that lights and decorations had been flying off the shelves.

After all, who would want to be outdoors putting up all these wonderful decorations if there was a foot of snow on the ground and the temperatures were in the normal 30 degree range.