December 25, 2008

Almaden Valley lights up for the holidays

This home on Mojave Drive is worth taking the time to view on a cool winter night. Photos by Shana McLean Moore .
A home on Pierce Ranch near Leyland Park.

Almaden area homes decorate for the season

At holiday time my son and I have a tradition that started a long time ago when his father was off on a business trip and not due home until just before Christmas.

The two of us would go out and drive through different neighborhoods to see the lights and decide which homes we liked best and which we didn’t like so much. Our favorites were always the umgapotchkied ones (that’s a Yiddish word meaning a “bit” overdone). We’d laugh, except for the ones that made us dizzy, and then we’d go home and drink hot chocolate and eat as many cookies as our tummies could hold (I was much thinner then)!

Today gas prices are higher, and there don’t seem to be as many people decorating, unless you know where to look. Without getting into your car, here’s a group of homes right in Almaden for you look at. So if one evening—and that could be around 4:30 with the way darkness comes on us—if you find yourself with a little bit of time and now that gas prices are below $2 or if you find yourself a little down, get into your car and drive around; the lights, the colors and the moving deer, the elves and the Santas will hopefully bring smiles to your faces. Then go home and drink some hot chocolate and eat all the cookies you can. Happy New Year from the Almaden Times Weekly!

—By Carol Rosen