Wordless Wednesday
Christmas lights
Zoo Lights
Last night, we went to see the Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo before they close for the season. While I was a little disappointed that the “Meet Me in St. Louis” display (one of the best ones, in my opinion), was inaccessible due to construction, the rest of the displays were quite fun and festive!
Even though we’re only at the halfway point in the 12 Days of Christmas, I imagine this is the last big Christmas thing we’ll do this season…I wish it all didn’t end so quickly after Christmas Day is over!
Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo
Would you believe that I, the Christmas Queen, had never been to Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo?
Well, almost never.
The first year Ryan and I lived down here (I think) we did visit, so that was almost 20 years ago. But we weren’t impressed, so we never felt like spending the money on tickets again. Maybe it was because we had a pretty recent memory of the lights at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, and that is a display that’s hard to top. Or maybe it really was just that underwhelming. But after that first time, we never went back.
Until last night. I needed a little more Christmas, and from what I’d seen of pictures of the lights, it seemed to be pretty different, so we decided to buy tickets for the family before the event ends for the season on the 30th.
I have to say, it was nothing like the hazy memories of being disappointed two decades ago I had stored away in my mind. There were lots of cool displays throughout the zoo, fun Christmas music, and the smell of funnel cake in the air (even with masks on!)
One of my favorite things about the displays was that the ornaments and presents displayed with the various animals had those animals’ prints on them, and I thought that was really cool!
Of course there were plenty of opportunities to take family photos, too!
I’m really glad we decided to take a chance on this…I would definitely pay for tickets again in the future!
Extreme Christmas House
It seems like every town has at least one extreme Christmas house. You know the type…lots of fun to drive by and admire, but that you wouldn’t want to live across the street from. Belleville is no exception, although in this case, it’s two houses, and a huge, well-lit, joint effort. We make sure to drive by at least once every year, and we’re always impressed.
We discovered this year that this display has been going on for 50 years. Sure, it started out a lot smaller than what you see here, but there’s something charming about knowing the same family has been going through this labor of love every Christmas for such a long time!
The Christmas Lights Drive
Every year at Christmastime, we take a drive to look at the Christmas lights around town. There are a few houses that we go by every year, and there is no other word to describe them than impressive! I am glad, however, that I don’t have to live across from any of them!
