Baker’s guide to Christmas lights

By Baker Pitts

Is it really Christmas without long strings of multi-colored light adorning every available surface? Most people would say no, and to that end this article will serve as a quick guide on the best places to see Christmas lights around the Bethany area.

Now, the most obvious place to go to see Christmas lights is our very own campus. Students and faculty took time out of their busy schedule to help set up some very well-done lights around the middle of campus. While it is not likely to be the best light show you see in your life, it is a very nice walk if you have no way to travel off campus to see lights.

Going out from campus, the lights get a bit harder to locate lights, simply because most neighborhoods are off the main road and you have to do a bit of searching to find any lights worth looking at. But rest assured, if you are persistent and know where to look (read: well-to-do neighborhoods) you can find some truly stunning light displays.

If you are really into big displays of Christmas lights, there is nowhere you need to be more than Yukon. After a short trip from campus, you will find some incredible residential displays of light-work in almost every neighborhood on or past Cornwell drive. Many people come to Yukon solely to view the lights that are on display on so many of the houses. And with the way the neighborhoods are set up, it is extremely easy to drive around in your car to view the lights. I would recommend finding a Yukon-native to take you into the area for light finding if you are unfamiliar with the area.

For some truly breathtaking lights, you need to go no further than the park in Yukon; the entire park is decked out in some of the craziest lights you may ever see in your college career. The light tour is a mix of drive and walk areas, with the option of only doing one or the other or doing both on and off. The displays around the park range from simple strings threaded through the trees, to huge displays of Noah’s Ark and elves playing volleyball. There are even multiple areas where you can park and watch light displays choreographed to music that plays through a radio station you listen to while you watch. Toss in that with a nice train ride through the middle of the park and you have yourself a light show that you should remember fondly until next year’s show.