Are you seeing extra Christmas lights in your neighborhoods? It feels like we see more lights this year than usual and it really helps amp up the joy in this strange year. For the past couple of years we’ve done Christmas light walking tours in zoos in San Antonio & Indianapolis, but we’re being extra cautious about being around crowds so we opted for a drive-through experience. We donned our matching Christmas safari pajamas, loaded-up in the minivan and drove north to a free lightshow being put on by a church in suburban Denver. To make the experience extra festive, we did a quick stop at 7Eleven for slurpies and treats and cranked the Christmas music for our short drive up and then hit the show.

It was an impressive set-up complete with lights choreographed to music in the staging area. Since the driving speed was limited to 3MPH and there was a buckle-up station at the end of the show, we let the kids out of their carseats, piled them on our laps and allowed the lights and the immersive show to wash over us. The main show told the story of a boy and his Grandfather who was raised in an orphanage and how that informed his view of Christmas and his tradition of inviting all to his table. It was surprisingly moving, and the lights were incredible! They used projections to create photo-realistic visions of the orphanage and several of the other scenes.

Over all it was an excellent time. Colorado folks, it was the lights at Cherry Hill Community Church and while tickets are free you do need to register. We had so much fun!