I saw the McAdenville Christmas lights last night. My husband and I thought our two-year old daughter would enjoy it and we think she did. She kept pointing out the lights and decorative snowmen.
But I have to say I expected more from Christmastown USA. I had never been, so I can't compare this year's display to previous years. So was it just me? Or is it overhyped?
But I have to say I expected more from Christmastown USA. I had never been, so I can't compare this year's display to previous years. So was it just me? Or is it overhyped?
13 comments:
I feel sorry for you. Nothing around here is every good enough it is? It must be tough to go through life like that instead of letting go and just enjoying things the way they are. If there had been more lights no doubt we'd be hearing how much the display is contributing to global warming.
unclench would ya
wow... you guys are really unfair! I can say that when I moved to Charlotte 5 years ago, I was slightly disappointed with the lights show... and my husband WHO GREW UP IN CHARLOTTE has said the same... they get smaller and less extravagant each year. He won't even go see them anymore because he said it doesn't remind him of how cool it used to be when he was younger...
Which night was it and what time did you drive through?
Yeah, it's not been the same since the local textile mill (remember them, boys and girls?) stopped footing the December electric bill for the whole town.
Greg,
We went through on Wednesday night. We were worried about the fog but it wasn't an issue.
Amy
did you all finish driving through McA prior to 9:30?
To Greg:
Yes. Got in line at 7:30 and were done (all the way through it) at 8:15.
Amy
Can you please write a blog about something that you DO like about Charlotte? Reading your gripes every week gets really old (and probably offensive) to a lot of readers that grew up here and love this City. Your blog seems to now be a place where you can go with other transplants to vent about how terrible it is here. Even the blogs that you post about a like, you follow up in the same post with more dislikes. The Observer has been kind enough to let you write for them, you should be grateful and return the favor with some positive about the city that the Observer represents. I hope people that are actually new to town aren't taking to heart the things your write.
To Amy:
I log plenty of items that I like about Charlotte -- ImaginOn, Mint, public library, parks, warm weather, uptown, my neighbors -- to name just a few. Sorry that you have never seen these, but I encourage you to look back at them.
Amy
I have seen them, which is why I said they are always followed up with a "but (insert negative here)." I am just encouraging you to take the perspective of those who are native and concentrate on welcoming new-comers with the great things they should be seeking out in Charlotte. If I were new to town, I certainly wouldn't want to see the hometown paper's blogger ripping everything they deem to be disappointing about the city I just moved to.
No need to respond to this post.
If you were underwhelmed by the McA Christmas lights, I assume you must be comparing it to some other more impressive Christmas light display elsewhere - otherwise it wouldn't make sense to be underwhelmed by the best you've ever seen. Where is this other place - I'd like to see it myself.
I guess I can't help feel a bit defensive considering that Christmastown has been doing this for free for over 50 years and has chosen to forgo untold millions of dollars it could have easily earned by charging some modest amount per vehicle. Each household spends dozens of hours decorating and un-decorating their houses and the mill has a whole crew that spends 3 months decorating the common areas and 3 months taking the lights down. Also, for those houses that are not owned by the mill, the electric bill the typical household pays is about $50 extra this month. All this for what? To make money? No. It is a gift from McA to anyone who wants to come see it. How many events can you think of these days that costs so many people so much time and money where there's no "return?" That's why I can't help but feel defensive when someone is critical of the McA lights. I makes me think they don't "get it" - i.e. the whole Spirit of Christmas thing and the fact that this tiny town of 500 people gladly goes through all this effort and traffic headache for a month for no other reason than to offer this as a Christmas gift too all who come see it. It's not just about who has the most light bulbs - if that were the case, go to Tanglewood's 1 million lights versus McA's 500,000 and pay $14 per car for your Chic-fil-Lay sponsored experience (and those lights are mostly on props that are rolled out of a warehouse as opposed to the mostly hand-strung lights in McA).
If you had to pay to see Christmastown and came away feeling like you didn't get your money's worth, that's one thing - but to knock a gift and to miss part of the point is another.
I am new to Charlotte and went to see the lights after a recommendation from some friends. I wasn't disappointed - even my two Pyrs and Lab liked seeing the lights! Sure, it wasn't as slick and professional as the lights at Callaway Gardens, for instance, but it was "from the heart" and really beautiful. I appreciate all the hard work that went into it and didn't notice a single house not participating in the light show. Coming from rural south Georgia, it was a treat!
Perhaps Christmas displays in NYC are larger and brighter, flashier and more in your face. So what... its New York, what else can you expect? From personal experience I can tell you that McAdenville is a tradition more than anything else, and no one is trying to impress you. It is for families to drive through, windows down, kids singing Christmas carols out of tune to those passing by. As for the size, things tend to appear larger when you are young, so I do agree that now that I take my son the place does seem a bit smaller. But why complain about something that is free? That other people offer without expecting anything in return but a Christmas spirit? Being from Charlotte, as are the past 3 generations of my family, I am a bit annoyed with so many complaints about Charlotte. I am sorry there are not a million and one things to keep you and all others from the great and mighty North occupied and happy with around town. Charlotte can't be so horrible, otherwise you wouldn't be here.
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