Holiday Lights: The Good, The Bad and the Tacky

Thanksgiving week is upon us. For many of us this means a four day weekend, copious amounts of leftovers and quality time spent with family. The day after Thanksgiving also signals the unofficial start of the holiday light display season. 

Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, it's hard to deny that the residential light displays are something to look forward to. As the days have gotten shorter, the evening rush hour has become dark and dismal. But then the lights come on and suddenly, you don't mind that evening drive quite as much.

Each neighborhood seems to have those houses that stand out. You know the ones. Maybe it's the guy that synchronizes his lights to the radio. Maybe it's the living nativity scene on the front lawn with two performances nightly. Or maybe it's the house that can be seen from space. 

Wouldn't it be great if there was a list of all the outstanding holiday light displays? 

Last year, as we took our annual drive through the neighborhood streets oohing and ahhing over the various lights, I wondered if such a site existed. And then I found Holly. 

Holly's Tacky Christmas Lights is a home base for all things holiday light related.  Holly Zell is a Fairfax native who happens to be passionate about those light displays that we love so much. Passionate enough to have a website dedicated to them, complete with photos and maps. 

Last year, at this time, she was featured in the Kingstowne Patch. You can read the interview . 

Our family usually takes a trip out to each year to see the , but we also enjoy cruising through the various neighborhoods to see all the different displays.  Be sure to visit Holly's website to see where the honorable mentions are and maybe you'll even find yourself on there this year.