Monthly Archives: December 2008

Christmas Festivities- Johnson’s Corner and all

This was like a marathon Christmas weekend. Wednesday evening, Christmas Eve, Britton and I went over to my parent’s house for dinner and we played poker and other card games. Then, Christmas morning we went to Johnson’s Corner, which is probably one of the most famous truck stops in the US for breakfast and it is just off of I-25 in Colorado! Britton thought this was hilarious…a greasy spoon for Christmas. It was actually quite busy! Johnson’s Corner was in the movie “Larger Than Life” with Bill Murray and Matthew McConahey (sp). We met our long-time family friends, the Fitzgeralds, there.

With my family

My Brother Justin and Dad

Playing Poker, Britton and Mom with a Neck massager

World Famous Cinnamon Roll -WAY TOO SWEET!

Sue, Mory, Dad and Mom at Johnson’s Corner

Magic Rings we won playing at the arcades in Johnson’s Corner

Later that afternoon we went over to Britton’s parent’s house and had Christmas dinner with everyone there. Our gift to our niece and nephew was an afternoon with us on Saturday. We took them out to lunch, to Target to pick out a present, went to a music shop down by the University of Northern Colorado, took a walk around UNC, went to the library, then hung out playing video games at our house. Then, last night we went over to Matt and Jamie’s and hung out, played cards, used their new juicer and played Rockband. Fun and busy weekend!

Nikki, a Schnauzer and Schnoodle at Britton’s Parents for Christmas

Helping give a boost to my nephew up into a tree in front of UNC

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Christmas Lights – Class or Crass? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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I have two distinct feelings toward Christmas lights and decorations. On the one hand, I love how it lights up an otherwise ugly time of year and gives a festive and cheerful mood to the dark season. On the other hand, I think some people go WAY overboard with these decorations and lights. A while ago I used to work at an old folks assisted living center and I’d take the residents out to see some of the lights. I have definitely seen the good, the bad and the ugly in terms of decorations. Last night we took a few pictures and a video of the Christmas lights and decorations in Greeley, Colorado. Enjoy, (and cringe) like we did 🙂

The Extent of Our Christmas Lights (on our banana tree)

The Good: DownTown Greeley lit up

The City of Greeley is trying to revitalize the downtown area, and while it is certainly beautiful, still not many people are there to enjoy it.

The Bad: Just imagine how wasteful this is on energy (not to mention a nuisance to neighbors)!

It is just ridiculous! It has over 70,000 lights and is programmed to be played -some are synchronized music and lights- to music that you can tune into in your car. There were like 30 cars just idling watching the lights and listening to music. This family calls themselves the “Greeley Grizwalds”. I would have to agree that they are just about as silly as the family in that Chevy Chase movie. It’s kind of cool, but definitely WAY over the top. It won the award for best decorated house in the local light contest. They won’t tell anyone how much their electric (energy) bill is, but I am sure it is wastefully high.

Here’s another video of it I found:

The Ugly!

This one has got to take the cake for being the most crass. Not even a block from the last one, this one tried to out-do it only with inflatable Christmas decorations. Every inch of the yard was covered in this balloon-like toys. (You may need to click on them to fully “appreciate” it.) It was crazy! Well, whatever floats your boat, or in their case, everything that floats.