Our Neighbors...the Grizwalds

I alluded to our neighbors in a previous post. I couldn't leave it at that...I wanted to dedicate a whole post to them. They are the Grizwalds, Ma and Pa Grizz, Grandpa Grizz...whatever you want to call them, we love them.

They moved here from California. The first Christmas season came around and my eyes were opened to the possibilities of Christmas decor. I came from a home where, if we were lucky, my Dad would string up some lights the day before Christmas. The majority of the bulbs were broken or burned out. The existing bulbs were only half way colored. (The paint having worn off in the 6 months that it took to get them down after the snow had melted). I don't mean to be disrespectful...my Dad was just a busy guy.

Anyway, that's my back ground. So when I saw Steve putting lights up on every pitch of the house, and all the bulbs were in tact and colorful (the less than superior bulbs were taken off and replaced the minute they ceased to do their job) it was all new to me. Not only was he doing it all right, he was doing it in November!

Mike and I secretly started referring to him as Clark Grizwald from The Christmas Vacation movie. We worried that it would offend him to be given such a nick name. The next year, he added more to the Christmas display and he was really living up to the name. By this time, we knew him well enough to let him know what we had named him. He didn't mind at all. He told us that this display was nothing compared to what they used to have in California. He said that in order for them to have brought all that stuff here when they moved, they would have had to get another U-Haul...wow. They have also said that their electric bill doubled in the month of December...wow again!

When Jake was just learning how to talk, he started to notice that the Grizwalds had a cool lights display and one day he came to me (in his broken English) and asked if we could have "just one strand". It took lots of deciphering because those words were the only ones that made sense, but we got it figured out. Every time he would admire the lights, Steve was brainwashing him. He'd suggest that Jake go home and tell us that he wanted just one strand of lights on the house.

Mike would never cave, but one by one the other neighbors fell victim to the temptation. Last year we were the only ones on the whole street without "just one strand". So, we caved, and Steve helped us, by giving us some of his lights and hanging them for us. I even bought some more lights at the after Christmas sale last year. Now, they are after us again and we are slowly becoming the only house on the street without lights. Steve says he'll help...I just need to get out there and do it.

Anyway, the point of this post is to say that I love the Grizwalds of the world...especially our Grizwalds. My kids get so much joy in seeing and pointing out the Christmas lights in the valley, and there is nothing better than to drive up our road and see the glow from their home even before we turn the corner onto our street.

A picture just can't do it justice, but I had to try...

We love to look closely each night and try to identify new things that have appeared (it takes a long time to fully assemble all the things at their house).

Anyway, get out those Christmas lights...even if it's just one strand. I'm sure we will, eventually.

Side note: when I asked the neighbors if it would be okay to write about them they said it would be fine, then last night they said that they watched part of Christmas Vacation. I haven't seen the whole movie, but I guess Clark can be pretty crude...so just so you know, our Grizwalds are not like that at all. Really, the only thing in common is that they both like "exterior illumination"...so don't get the wrong idea.

Another side note: I began writing this post a few days ago, and now I can proudly say that I have a strand of lights up!