Time to String Up the Lights, Mate! Tree Lighting at Newport Beach Now
It’s not even Thanksgiving and yet, the holiday tree lightings are happening. Tonight and tomorrow night, November 13 & 14, 2012, visitors can participate in the annual tree lighting ceremony at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Billed as the nation’s tallest outdoor, live mall tree, thousands came last year to see it being lit, so this year in order to accommodate what they hope will be a more controlled event the planners are hosting 2 week night Tree Lighting ceremonies (rather than weekend). When Santa’s elves put the tree together it’s interesting to watch. They transport it from a forest (usually in California) and actually strip off the foliage, then reassemble it by attaching it to the tree limbs once again. Nested within some living foliage is lots of artificial greenery to make the tree look fuller. You’d never know unless you wander up close and study it.
It’s time to string up your holiday lights around the house and palm trees in the annual ritual of making your family and neighborhood’s days merry and bright. Light effects haven’t changed drastically in the past 50 years. You can purchase computerized light systems that will make the lights pulsate to music or flash to patterns programmed into the control panel. But be careful. Some lavish lit displays have become wildly successful like one that used to occur near Sacramento. After several years massive car traffic and thousands coming to see one spectacular home that was lit by millions of computer signals, the neighbors went to the city and had it stopped–permanently. BAH HUMBUG!
Options for lighting:
Pay someone. Prices are generally around $80-150.
Do it yourself and get going now so it isn’t such a chore and not too late.
Buy new light strings to get a fresh start.
Buy pre-packaged light netting for bushes and palms.
Use ready-made shapes such as snowflakes and Santa for accents to jolly it up! They are sold at discount, hardware and drug stores.
