Baby When The Lights Go Out
Now that our Christmas light are officially (and finally) put away for the season, we couldn’t help but look back one more time at all of the great light displays here in Richmond that we enjoyed (if we’re being perfectly honest, we wrote this post a day or two after Christmas but somehow forgot to click publish. Oops. Then Donna‘s comment on Young House Love jogged our memory. Hence it’s egregiously past-the-season lateness).
We loved visiting Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with John’s parents. They deck the grounds out in thousands of lights each year for their nightly Gardenfest of Lights:
And on the day after Christmas we all took John’s uncle Don and aunt Debbie downtown to the James Center, which also boasts its fair share of twinkle:
And after stopping around there, we drove home via Monument Avenue to check out some of the grand lights on the grand homes there. John’s uncle hopped out to get a few pictures, like these:
Oh this makes us so sad to know that the Christmas light season is over. I guess we’ll just start the 11 month countdown until they come back…
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I love Christmas lights so much too! I love vacationing in December so you get to see twinkly lights in other cities. :)
So pretty and twinkly! It’s sad that people don’t decorate their houses so much here in the UK – and even then it’s sometimes really tacky… But the light in central London more than make up for it! I generally put up with all the crowds on Oxford Street (the main shopping street in the city) for my Christmas shopping just so I can see the lights (:
I love lights!!! As a kid, my house was “the green house”. Every light we had was green – the roof, bushes, windows, the tree, everything. The whole neighborhood knew it too.
Dude. Props on the Five song as your headline! Haha.
Just wanted to say the exact same thing :D
So pretty! The botanical gardens were of course amazing, but James Center looks stunning! That’s amazing that they frame the buildings too! We live about 20 minutes from Philly but have never gone into town to see lights – sadly my hubby cannot stand the city (and some areas are best avoided). But I wish we had something like this close to us :) Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s a perfect pick me up as today we are taking down the tree and yesterday we took down the outside lights :( So sad when they come down. Like you I’m doing a countdown until next year!
Have you ever been to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. It’s beautiful!!
I couldn’t believe how much the first few pictures looked like Longwood! Love it there!
I love how Clara is taking it all in with one index finger to the corner of her mouth. Such precocious introspection ;)
that photo of clara is precious! Loving the lights!
Pretty pictures but now I have the song by Five stuck in my head. *get outta my head!* lol.
I just love Richmond around the holidays! It’s so pretty and festive! :)
I really like your new header. GOOD JOB !!!!!
New header? Our header here has been the same since we started this offshoot of our blog in September. Maybe you’re used to the one on Young House Love? This is the Young House Life section of our blog (so it’s different). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thank you for that headline…now I can’t get that song out of my head! Wonder if I have it in my music collection….hmmmm. :)
Oh I love that white house!
You guys have made me fall in love with Richmond! I want to visit so bad. Now if I can only figure out how to make travel with a 90 lb dog and a 60 lb dog! Don’t know if I could leave them for long. :)
The Richmond CVB should have a category on their website entitled something like “what our locals say” and link to all your posts! Its such great advertising for your city!
I need to come visit you guys next December! So gorgeous!
Richmond has the best Christmas lights! We’re finally putting our decorations away, too!
What is really weird, is the title you gave this post. It played at the gym this morning and I hadn’t heard it since maybe 9th grade.
I have to ask – what setting(s) do/did you use for the night pics (if you remember!) Your pics came out wonderfully! I’m jealous :)
We shot in A mode (the aperture setting of our camera) so it allowed us to adjust the exposure (we left it on 0) and just tried to keep it reasonably still with the aperture pretty low. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Love the post! Fun Fact: My grandfather is one of the volunteers that helps put up (and take down) the lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. Their group is called “the old geezers.” :) He actually was given the garden volunteer of the year award a couple of years ago too! I’m glad all three of you enjoyed the gardens as much as my family does.
No way! That’s amazing! It looked gorgeous there. He did an awesome job!
xo,
s
My son goes to school at the University of Richmond (and my daughter did before that). We enjoy Richmond so much each and every visit. We’ve never seen it with the Christmas lights all aglow as the kids are home then. This is his last semester so I have just a few things left on my list of “must sees”. I will miss your beautiful city.
Love the pics! We too enjoyed the Ginter Gardens this year on an amazing night!! Yeah for this years weather!! The hubs and I got married there 7 years this year (May) so it’s like nostalgia central for us!! Now that we live here we were gifted a membership! Can’t wait for splash park to open again!! Happy New Year!
The Christmas lights are nice but what I’m really loving is Clara’s shoes.
We just put away all of our Christmas lights and decorations today too! 11 months seems like a long time away, but makes everything more fun when you only see the decorations once a year!
I love Clara’s shoes- what an incredibly stylish girl!!! And I would gladly sell one/all of my children to have the last house pictured. So lovely!
My husband and I used to live down in the Fan and started naming some of the grand houses on Monument. We named that brick house you posted “Seasons Greetings from Historic Monument Avenue” because it looks just like a vintage postcard in December. thanks for sharing!
Haha- too funny! It’s totally perfect for a postcard.
xo,
s
Love the pics!! I really love the one of $her-dog holding Clara by the white reindeer. As a fumbling self-taught photographer can I ask what settings you used to get that shot? The lighting is awesome!
Aw thanks! We shot in A mode (the aperture setting of our camera) so it allowed us to adjust the exposure (we left it on 0) and just tried to keep it reasonably still with the aperture pretty low. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ha! First typo that I found :) I guess it should say Richmond instead of Richdmond in the first sentence
You’re right! All fixed!
xo,
s
Love this post! I, too, am sad that the Christmas season is over…which is why all of our stuff is still up! Lol… This week? Yes, I think so. But in any case, I loved looking at these pictures! Thanks for sharing. :-)
I LOVE Clara’s little leopard print shoes!!
Aw thanks guys! $9 on clearance at Old Navy!
xo,
s
Beautiful!
You used the word “egregious” and cannot hear that word without thinking of the British series, “League of Gentlemen”. It’s weird and wonderful – if you want to see what I think of you’ll have to watch this entire clip!:
Haha, hilarious!
xo,
s
Could you tell me what kind of stroller that is that cutie Clara is sitting in?
We love our Joovy Kooper (Clara has used it from 3 weeks old on!).
xo,
s
Hi there,
LOVE the pictures. Was wondering if these were taken with your NIkon camera by chance? I’ve been shopping around for a new camera and the one you have has gotten very mixed reviews regarding the flash, shutter speed etc. I’m looking for a camera that takes great stills, but also can keep up with my “always on the go” 3 year old and something that can take great photos w/ flash as well.
These pictures look incredible! I figured you would be the best to ask, since you use your’s daily with natural and flash. I wasn’t sure whether to ask or not, but after seeing the pictures in this post (flash, bright lights etc.) I just had to ask : ) ~ need your HONEST opinion! I REALLY appreciate it !!! LOVE your blog and have been reading since day 20 : ) LOL
Yup, all taken with our Nikon except for the last two (those were shot with John’s uncle’s cam- which actually might be a Nikon too). We love our camera- you definitely have to learn how to use it (like any DSLR I would guess) but we have no complaints! We’re much better photogs than we were with our point and shoot!
xo,
s
This is my second close encounter of the YHL kind. (First was the Folk Festival.) I was staying at the Omni at the James Center that night when I was home to see my family. I would have totally been that dork that came and said hi had I seen you guys.
We would’ve loved for you to say “Hi.” Maybe third time’s the charm?
-John
Read this at work this morning during a meeting and almost sang the title out loud because the song popped into my head. Way to take me back to grade school. Love it!
EEEEVERY SINGLE WORD CANNOT EXPRESS, THE LOVE AND TENDERNEEEESS.
backstreet boys?
anyone?
Bueller?
Hahahahaha. Hilarious.
xo,
s
I used to live in Richmond and your pictures of the James Center reindeer make me SO nostaligic! It was always one of my favorite things about Christmas!
The picture of the last house- I’ve been in there! And its beautiful. My sister was high school classmates with the owner’s daughter.
No way! What an awesome house!
xo,
s