There are various ways to explore Christmas lights in your local area. A great place to visit is Bethlehem, PA which as the Christmas City has the star of Bethlehem on top of South Mountain which can be seen from most areas around Bethlehem if one looks in the Southern direction. Bethlehem’s historic district with the Moravian Church and surrounding historic houses keep the Moravian tradition of white candles in the windows and white lights only on the homes which in itself might seem plain but there is something so lovely about such simplicity of the white lights that take one back in time. Even the famous Hotel Bethlehem has white lights seen from the street, however once one goes inside the Hotel, there is an amazing array of lights and holiday decorations including a creche over the inside of the front doors in the main lobby. The hotel is tastefully and beautifully decorated inside unlike the plain Moravian tradition on the outside street view. Sadly, with the hotel changing hands, one can no longer see the big Christmas tree once all lit up on the rooftop, but the bell tower of the Moravian church has white lights that can be seen from across the Lehigh river or standing on the Hill to Hill bridge. If one wants to see the colorful lights going across one of the three Bethlehem bridges to the South Side of Bethlehem, the décor in the streets is all the colored lights on posts and stores, restaurants and homes including the dorms and houses on Lehigh University’s campus. I like to think of the colorful lights on the Southside as representing the many years of immigrants migrating from various countries initially to work for Bethlehem Steel which was a good job back in the heyday of the steel. Now there is still a part of the steel stacks that are lit up in the nighttime sky in various colors that can be seen in the distance from the hills of Fountain Hill or from parts of neighboring Hellertown or steel city. The bus tours and walking Christmas city tours of Bethlehem including the Main Street Christmas cottage vendors are a must see Holiday adventure where lights are part of the attraction. Finding lights and more lights can be seen just driving around the neighborhood in your car with family or friends and is often a tradition many folks enjoy. But where to find a good route to see some of the best houses one might ask?? Well, some local papers or online blogs have routes mapped out with streets and houses to follow some of the best area lights in an area near you.

But, if one wants to go for the gusto of lights, I found the Lehigh Valley in PA to have a few must see gems. Lights on the parkway in the Lehigh parkway on the little Lehigh has a couple miles of lights with holiday scenes on the roadside and overhead.  One can pay to take a car load of people to enjoy for one fare or for those needing a nice walk in a magical wonderland  can take a stroll or even run through the light display. Coca Cola park where the Iron Pigs baseball play has a huge light display in the lots that one can walk or drive through as well. And another hidden gem of the lights is at the Lehigh valley Zoo which is in Orefield area back through the woods and up a few big hills where just seeing the city lights from the upper fields is beautiful. However, parking and paying to go into the zoo while the animals are sleeping is the most amazing lighting display I had seen in a long time. Taking kids along and watching their excitement adds to the experience. There are all different colored lights and types of lights and Santa’s and polar bears and other statues that one can get great photos next to or putting your head in some that have open places for a little face is lots of fun. There is a real Santa as well in a magical area with lights that when stepped on light up different colors and the music piped in adds to the festivities. There are moving characters like Rudolph and the reindeer and some famous cartoon characters as well as various winter animals like penguins, bears and even the Grinch and elves… There are warming fires where one can sit or stand near and even buy marshmallows to make s’mores and hot chocolate and coffee to buy and the little shops to keep warm. If hungry, there are hotdogs and hamburgers and other festival or fair type food available for purchase. This exhibit of lights at the zoo will take a while to go through so leave an hour or hour and a half as the tickets allow. There are a couple shows that are put on through the evening from some famous shows with acting and singing about 15-20 minutes each so look on the brochure you get with the tickets or go online to find times for each. There are light sleighs to sit in and a see through Eskimo house to go into if desired and a favorite is sitting in the sleigh with a real Grinch though Max was missing but by bringing a service dog with us we had a substitute which the Grinch greatly appreciated. The photo op with the Grinch and kids with the dog was priceless. Many also enjoyed sitting in the lit up Cinderella horse and carriage in which one can imagine being driven away before it turns into a pumpkin. There was a play area under a pavilion with giant blocks and Legos to build big structures to a child or adult’s imagination. And lastly, going under a lighted arch that almost looks like moving water over one’s head made an excellent exit to a dream filled holiday festivity. So look in the paper or local ads and TV or Facebook/Instagram or other social media for ideas of where good light displays can be found in an area near you, because you do not need to go to New York City or to Long Wood Gardens to find some exciting holiday displays and have a winter adventure. Plus it could be more affordable than the big apple. Happy holidays and merry Christmas and to all a goodnight!