Photography & Photo Stories

Bright Lights or Snowy White? A December Challenge on In Living Color

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s Eve, and the beautiful snowy landscape

December across the world often involves a dazzling array of lights from whatever occasion people are celebrating, whether this be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Boxing Day, Los Posados, Bodhi Day, Eid il-Burbara, New Year’s Eve, or any other type of celebration.

Tis’ the season of trees, wreaths, and houses bedecked in twinkling lights — candles of the menorah or the Mishumaa Sabba flickering bright — star lights and fireworks to celebrate ringing in a New Year of promise and hope.

Aside from all the glorious celebrations December brings about, it’s also the last month of the year and thus it is a time to look back, once again, and wonder just where in the heck the year went. How did it all go so fast?

And the older we get, the faster life seems to go. Doesn’t it? I still remember when I was little and an hour could seem like an eternity.

Now, an hour seems more like the snapping together of two fingers.

For some, December also means lots of white stuff everywhere — snow covering the hills, mountains, plains, lakes, and rivers of the northern regions. Not in the tropics of Trinidad and Tobago though, where I’ve been hanging out now off and on for the past two years. Here in the deep tropics of the Caribbean, there are generally two seasons: hot and rainy or a little less hot and rainy.

However, I did spend many years living up in the north myself (um, yeah, about 30 years or so!) and I’ve had a chance to visit once or twice in the winter months since then.

I’ve found the white stuff is much more magical and wonderous if I only visit it once in a while, rather than live in it. Too much of a great thing isn’t always good — unless that great thing is the tropics — I just can’t seem to get enough of that!

December may not be the season of cheer for everyone though. Sometimes “the best time of the year” can bring about a lot of stress, family strife, and even loneliness. I myself have experienced a lot of this in the past — that is, before I decided to give all that one giant colossal charring, metaphorically speaking of course, and just be a boss instead.

Don’t be a victim of life, be a boss instead. Sounds like a great motto to me!

Anyway, place all this in a blender and you have the essence of December… and also this month’s challenge: Bright lights or snowy white?

Majestic Christmas lights

One of my favorite experiences of witnessing the magic of the Christmas season, and its many lights, was working at Disney World — the parks decked out in fabulous lights and other decor, and folks wandering around the parks full of cheer.

Especially the happy, excited children full of glee — with bright smiles and hope for the future — who experience the wonder without all the pesky hang-ups we adults tend to have.

Unfortunately, working at Disney World did have its downsides, which you can read about here. However, I do miss riding my favorite attraction, Spaceship Earth, which I was compelled to visit every month or so. Hearing the story of the dawn of civilization, smelling the musky embers of when the treasured libraries of old burned, and seeing all the stars shining at the end — hmm, I just cherished it all.

And, I was able to partake of the last showing of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Hollywood Studios.

The word spectacular doesn’t even begin to do these lights justice. Walking through the dazzling displays, everyone seemed more magical and wonderous than the last.

But, it all had to come to an end. Read more about that here:

Ah, the smell of corporate American greed. Pretty stanky!

Celebrating Diwali and enjoying the lights in 2021

Really though, any lights will do. Diwali, of course, does not fall in December, although I do have fond memories of the year I was able to celebrate Diwali here in Trinidad with my husband’s Hindu side of the family, before they all started fighting amongst each other, that is.

So heartbreaking how this tends to happen.

I was devastated when the season came and went this year without them burying the ol’ hatchet.

I missed the lights, colorful decorations, the food, and the ambience of celebrating Diwali in 2021. I vividly recall one neighbor blasting festive music, which mostly consisted of a mix of 70s through 90s American popular hits, along with more traditional Indian music, most of which I find quite enchanting. Another neighbor was blasting some festive fireworks — until one set of fireworks exploded in midair over a transformer, and subsequently knocked out power to the whole neighborhood. Oopsie!

Watching the Trini power company quickly arrive with a boom truck to fix the transformer was all part of the fun. I do believe they were well-prepared for this to happen.

Walking in a winter wonderland

This snowy Idaho window photo is one of my favorites, but it wasn’t taken in December. It was actually taken early in the month of October when Idaho was suddenly hit by a surprise snowstorm while I was visiting.

In the previous 24 hours, it had been a pretty typical early fall warm day — notice how the foliage in the photo is still green. But the next morning we had woken up to this — a thick blanketing of sparkling snow. It was a true shock to me as I hadn’t experienced a white winter in about ten years, at that time.

Having grown up in Idaho though, I knew this to be no real shock at all. This is just how winter goes in this part of the world. One day the sun is shining and you are strolling in the park taking photos of the fall leaves, and the next day you wake up to snow. Welcome to Idaho. Don’t forget to pack your snow boots, coat, and mittens.

After my initial shock, I had fun taking photos of the new blanket of white stuff.

These photos, however, were taken the following December during my next visit:

Now It’s Your Turn

Do you have photos you would like to show off featuring spectacular lights or snowy white? Can you also write a compelling story about these photos — one that captures the true essence of what you were feeling and experiencing at the moment?

If so then we would love to read what you come up with here at In Living Color!

• Please add the tag “monthly challenge”.
• Also, do make sure you are following our pub guidelines: Submission Guidelines For In Living Color.

For inspiration, do check out some of these previously published stories:

• Mystical Aries gave us a glimpse into what it’s like to visit Trivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark on New Year’s Eve: A Memorable New Year’s Eve
• Michele Maize explains finding ways to better enjoy the holiday season with her family: What Would Usually Put Me in a Funk, Brought Me Out of One

On behalf of myself and fellow editor Allisonn Church, we look forward to reading and publishing your stories!

And of course, if you are a traveler, which many of you are, do check out this month’s challenge over at Globetrotters: