The Big Apple is Big on Christmas

Awixa Castle at Christmas

New York City is arguably the premier city in the world. The Big Apple is home to Wall Street, Broadway, Times Square and, as Huey Lewis sang, "you can do a half a million things all at a quarter to three". During this time of year, Rockefeller Center is lit up like it's high noon with a giant tree decorated to the nines. I am not too familiar with NYC, but I am sure that there are a thousand other such things going on. A little Google Fu led me to a place on Long Island called Awixa Castle.

The original deed on the land that Awixa Castle sits on, dates back over 400 years authorized by Queen Anne of England. The Castle itself didn't come to fruition until the early 20th Century. In 1999, a guy bought the place and it was in disrepair, so he decided to fix it up. And he did. Now a days, Awixa Castle is used for various charitable events a few times a year. In addition, at Christmas time, the castle is transformed into a magical lighted fantasy land, with over 250,000 lights on over three acres of land.

Here's a video interview with Joe Weiss, the owner of the castle. Throughout the interview, you'll get to see various mini - displays within the big display. It's quite a sight to behold.

You can find several more photos and with a little site navigation, you'll also see and learn quite a bit about Awixa Castle.

Christmas Across America: Minnesota

As we get a little bit closer to Christmas each day and as I do more posts on heavy duty Christmas light displays, I am more astounded each day at what I see. Today is no exception.

Tim and Cathy Fischer live in the suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Tim and Cathy are also light gurus. Through the use of my extraordinary Google Fu, I tracked down the Fischers' web site and I just knew I had stumbled upon something very special. The Fischers have tons and tons of information on their site not just about their Christmas light display, but links to other light gurus around the country, an FAQ section, the history of their display and several more links to a lot of other information. Give the site a look when you've got a little down time. You'll thank me later.

You'll want to click this link to view photos and this link to see videos of one of the best Christmas light displays ever! One of the, if not THE best, reasons Tim and Cathy go through so much hard work on their display each year, is that they simply love Christmas and it's true meaning. And...they just plain ole like doin' it! And, believe you me, their passion for Christmas shows in the intricate detail in the light show.

Don't just take my word for it, scoot on over to plymouthlights.com and see for your self. If you're lucky enough to have children or grand children around your house, they'll LOVE spending a little bit with Mom and/or Dad watching the Fischers' passion and dedication to their Christmas light display come to life!