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. Then just weave in and out of 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!
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The Washington Park neighborhood in Winston-Salem has started something similar – mainly down Cascade Road between Broad and Main Street.
I HAVE to get there soon! I love to drive around and look at Christmas lights every year. And maybe I’ll knock on a door or two to get tips on hanging; we made a bunch of those but can only hang them so high without a cherry picker truck!