Holiday Lights on Thoroughbred Street

My fascination with Christmas lights started ages ago when I was a child and my father would drive my brother and I around town to see the city’s light displays.  There were several fancy places and somehow he always managed to find some neighborhood that was bursting with lights and music, just waiting for a child to experience it.  I’m very lucky these days to live in another town that has a marvelous neighborhood of lights.  This is Thoroughbred Street up in Alta Loma, not far at all from my house.   Like so many things that are close to home, I don’t see this wonderful place very often.  This year I made an effort.

It was going on six o’clock on a Saturday evening when my daughter and I decided to take a chance and visit the Thoroughbred area.  That was a bold move because there are often traffic jams and long lines of cars inching their way up the hill to this neighborhood.  We must have just timed it right; we zipped right in!

We weren’t disappointed either.  The homes had gone all out to put on a beautiful show.  Lights were everywhere!  I can’t imagine what it must be like for a child to see this for the first time.  I’m slack-jawed and I’ve seen it before.    House after house is decorated from the rooftops to the curbside.

We drove through the area but many people park and walk.  That probably is the best way to see it although all those pedestrians make for some scary driving moments.  One must be watchful because the people just don’t show up all that well in the dark.

The homeowners on these streets do this all themselves.  The decorating starts the beginning of November and most lights are turned on the first of December. This is strictly a homeowner affair.  The utility company doesn’t subsidize the bill for all this.  These folks do it for the pleasure of their fellow citizens. I think that’s amazingly generous.

It takes a lot of work to get all this ready and there were a few homes that were dark when we drove through.  This one still seems to be working on the display.

This is just a small taste of all the sights there were.  The lights have spread out from Thoroughbred to the adjoining streets which also have lots of brilliance and color.  So if you’re looking for a fun evening try strolling this Alta Loma neighborhood and enjoy the show.  Do come early.  The sooner in the month, the better.  As the time gets closer to Christmas, the line of cars crawling up the hill only gets longer and longer.  By that time signs will be posted and even the 210 freeway will feel the impact.  So don’t dawdle!

Just to make certain you don’t get lost, here’s a map.