Bob Peale
angeli ribelli
- Joined
- Sep 4, 1999
- Posts
- 10,535
Doing my daily scan of newspapers aroud the country, I came across this:
The more, the merrier
By CLARISSA SPASYK
Journal staff writer
Fred Farmer's Christmas decorations are over the top. Even gaudy.
But the Alexandria resident doesn't really care what people call the eclectic collection of Christmas lights and decorations brightly adorning his home at 2507 Fairview Drive.
``I know they're not tastefully done," said the 63-year-old, who works as a facilities engineer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. ``I have a lot of fun with them."
Farmer's display includes more than 300 plastic candy canes in trees, Santa Claus and his sleigh on the roof, a Nativity scene and Santa's workshop on the porch, and tens of thousands of lights throughout his small yard.
New this year is a snow-making machine.
So far, unseasonably warm weather has prevented it from producing fluffy white flakes, but members of the Farmer family are keeping their fingers crossed.
``It just has to be 30 [degrees] or below," said Pat Farmer, Fred's wife. ``Everybody comes by to see what we have new. The neighbors love it so much."
Visitors also love all of Farmer's festive lights and giant Christmas figures, fixtures in the neighborhood for the last 10 years. A stranger who stopped by earlier this week was so impressed with his Christmas display that she gave him a big kiss.
``There's great camaraderie," Farmer said.
The snow machine, which cost about $1,500, is adding even more to Farmer's electric bill, which mounts every holiday by $75 to $100.
Cost is not the issue at all, said Farmer, who said Christmas is his favorite time of year.
``It's worth it," he said. ``I'm sentimental."
So is the Barbari family, who are visited by thousands of Northern Virginians each Christmas.
Their home, at 6634 S. Kings Highway in Alexandria, has almost everything associated with the holiday season on the lawn, trees and house.
There are reindeer on the roof and more than a dozen Christmas carolers sharing the yard with giant gingerbread houses, candy canes and a manger scene, all ablaze with brightly colored lights.
****************************************************
You get the idea...the rest of the story is at:
http://cold.jrnl.com/cfdocs/new/ffx/mainstory.cfm?snumber=02&pnumber=01&paper=ffx§ion=fp
The more, the merrier
By CLARISSA SPASYK
Journal staff writer
Fred Farmer's Christmas decorations are over the top. Even gaudy.
But the Alexandria resident doesn't really care what people call the eclectic collection of Christmas lights and decorations brightly adorning his home at 2507 Fairview Drive.
``I know they're not tastefully done," said the 63-year-old, who works as a facilities engineer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. ``I have a lot of fun with them."
Farmer's display includes more than 300 plastic candy canes in trees, Santa Claus and his sleigh on the roof, a Nativity scene and Santa's workshop on the porch, and tens of thousands of lights throughout his small yard.
New this year is a snow-making machine.
So far, unseasonably warm weather has prevented it from producing fluffy white flakes, but members of the Farmer family are keeping their fingers crossed.
``It just has to be 30 [degrees] or below," said Pat Farmer, Fred's wife. ``Everybody comes by to see what we have new. The neighbors love it so much."
Visitors also love all of Farmer's festive lights and giant Christmas figures, fixtures in the neighborhood for the last 10 years. A stranger who stopped by earlier this week was so impressed with his Christmas display that she gave him a big kiss.
``There's great camaraderie," Farmer said.
The snow machine, which cost about $1,500, is adding even more to Farmer's electric bill, which mounts every holiday by $75 to $100.
Cost is not the issue at all, said Farmer, who said Christmas is his favorite time of year.
``It's worth it," he said. ``I'm sentimental."
So is the Barbari family, who are visited by thousands of Northern Virginians each Christmas.
Their home, at 6634 S. Kings Highway in Alexandria, has almost everything associated with the holiday season on the lawn, trees and house.
There are reindeer on the roof and more than a dozen Christmas carolers sharing the yard with giant gingerbread houses, candy canes and a manger scene, all ablaze with brightly colored lights.
****************************************************
You get the idea...the rest of the story is at:
http://cold.jrnl.com/cfdocs/new/ffx/mainstory.cfm?snumber=02&pnumber=01&paper=ffx§ion=fp
