Is Kitsap County lacking in holiday lighting spirit?

In the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown laments the commercialization of Christmas, and wonders why he feels depressed. All around him everyone else seems to be having a good time — writing their Christmas lists and decorating their houses for the annual lighted house competition. Even Snoopy gets in the act — and wins first place, much to Charlie’s dismay.

I say, lighten up Charlie Brown. Sure, Christmas decorations that blink and flash and buzz and spin may not be THE reason for the season, but they do brighten things up considerably during the short, dark days of winter.

They can also be a great way for neighborhoods to pull together in a communal show of Christmas spirit; even if it is just to try to outshine (literally) the neighborhood around the corner.

In my hometown there were heated competitions each year between rival “Christmas Houses,” which each year seemed to get more and more fantastic.

One swanky cul-de-sac dubbed itself “Candy Cane Lane.” Cherry trees in the median were striped in red plastic ribbon and blazed with lights while Santa, his sleigh and eight not-so-tiny reindeer wove in and out among them. Every stately home dripped with lights, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

Across town, in a not-so-upscale neighborhood, one house that looked sort of, well, dumpy, the rest of the year, transformed itself into a Christmas fantasyland. You could tell they planned and saved all year for this one month, when cars would line up for blocks and people would jam the sidewalk, mouths agape at the wonder of it all.

A toy train carried woodland critters around a tinfoil ice skating rink, where old store mannequins found new life as moving figure skaters. A homemade ferris wheel blinked and glowed like a beacon to lure admirers from far and wide.

Christmas carols played over speakers hung from trees, and a life-sized automaton Santa recited “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas” over and over, while bobbing his head and raising and lowering one hand.

And, oh yes, in a corner was a Nativity scene, with figures that glowed from the inside.

The daily newspaper regularly ran a Christmas light display street map, which families used as they set out on their pilgrimages to see the best and the brightest.

I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic for those ostentatious displays of holiday spirit since moving to Kitsap County.

Here and there I’ve come across homes whose occupants seem to be really into it, but by and large neighborhoods are dark, or with just a few houses lit with what seem like obligatory single strings of lights, the kind that are left up all year. Is it a “let the season begin” ritual to plug the string in again the day after Thanksgiving?

Why haven’t communities rallied to organize Christmas light displays which could be enjoyed by all? Are we so transient that we don’t know our neighbors, or do we know them but would rather not?

Fear of high electricity bills may be part of the problem, but they don’t have to be the type of displays that can be seen from the space shuttle or make the national news. They just need to be enough to show that the spirit of Christmas, of community and caring, is alive and well and twinkling in red, blue and green.

If you live in Kitsap County and have a holiday lighting display that you would like to share, let me know and I’ll make a special category in the Dec. 21 What’s Up calendar for you. But do it this week — displays that are left up all year don’t count.

Send your holiday lighting information, with complete address and driving directions if necessary, to: mmiller@northkitsapherald.com.

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ONLY events occurring in Kitsap County are eligible for publication in What’s Up.

• Please submit all arts and entertainment-related Kitsap event press releases to: mmiller@northkitsapherald.com, or by mail to: Marcie Miller, c/o North Kitsap Herald, P.O. Box 278, Poulsbo, WA 98370.

• Include the relevant who, what, where, when, how much and who to contact for more information. You may attach up to three photos, sized to approximately 4×6 inches, with 200 dpi resolution, jpg format.

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