Some time ago--long before Thanksgiving, in fact--my friend Jennifer Corcoran invited me to participate in her new Facebook group, the Griswolders Christmas Decorating Club.
Since I know how hard it can be to get things rolling online, I joined her fledgling group despite having little-to-no-idea what it was all about. Soon, my Facebook feed became a contagious, continuous scroll of people from all around the world with these amazing Christmas decorations. We're talking light shows and music and themes and giant skeletons in Santa suits and just the most amazing and unexpected things you've ever seen. I've met local Griswolders, but Griswolders aren't just local, or even just nationwide--there are Griswolders from Australia with giant kangaroo decorations, and many Griswolders in Europe (expertly navigating the holiday roundabouts, no doubt!)
And these folks weren't having any of that wait-until-after-Thanksgiving nonsense. No, they were all-decked-out and not even thawing their turkeys yet. Despite everything that has been 2020--pandemic, personal loss, the gamut--(and these folks have been through it all as much as anyone I've learned while getting to know them)--despite all this, they were the happiest Facebook group I've ever seen.
It was hands-down the best thing I've ever joined on Facebook, and a welcome respite from the other things going on in early November 2020.
Now I have to confess that Christmas lights sort of intimidate me. I've failed in the past with net lights. No kidding, I'm a net-lights dropout. I used gutter clips for the first time this year and it took me no less than three tries on one side of the house and they're still not entirely right. I need simple. You may have seen the Facebook video we made opening the now sold-out 68 inch Wal Mart Nutcrackers--these things were a Griswolders Christmas Decorating Club obsession for weeks, and they pretty much just snapped together, thank goodness! But then, amongst the Griswolders, I found another category of outrageously-fabulous holiday decorations that spoke to me in the way that ALL things speak to mothers of younger kiddos.
I knew, the moment I saw the 20-foot Santa, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my kids would LOVE it.
Enter the Inflatables.
Lots of Inflatables.
One Inflatable Led to Another
Sometime before Thanksgiving 2020, the 20-foot blow-up Santa arrived.
And once you've got a 20-foot Santa in your yard, you realize he's lonely. He needs a tree. And a snowman. And a unicorn. And a pink hippo in a tutu.
And a Baby Yoda. I mean, everybody needs a blow up Baby Yoda in their yard, arranged to look like he's rising up from a ring of boxwoods.
Thank goodness, the neighbors also put up early decorations. And just from driving around it seems like maybe we're all a bit more in the holiday-decorating-spirit this year.
We've recently added a pink flying pig in honor of Macaroni Kid National's logo, and we've got some further intentions, but to be honest--the early snow, chilly weather and the wind have worn us down a bit these last few days.
That is to say, by far and away, I am not one of the overachievers in the Griswolders Christmas Decorating Club. In fact, our setup is pretty tame by their standards.
There's a learning curve. Inflatables are fickle creatures. It's been a super-windy November/December. We nearly had a Flying-Ten-Foot-Tree Incident on Sunday night, so we've left everyone deflated for the moment while the wind blows, just in case.
I hope we are able to keep the Giant Santa, Baby Yoda, and Friends inflated through the end of the year because the kids really love them. Neighbors have said their kids love them. It's great.
But our little yard is nothing compared to the Grzegorczyk light show at 1510 Charleston Park Drive. And it's nothing compared to Jennifer's stellar setup at the intersection of Sawyer Brown and General George Patton in Bellevue (amazing photo below--she loves sharing her lights so definitely go see!). She's got the giant disco Frosty, a snow machine, and of course the Baby Yoda that inspired our own, along with a whole family of fabulous creatures.
We're pretty small potatoes compared to the experienced Griswolders. But maybe, locally, folks riding down the road on a not-too-windy day will see the Giant Santa and Baby Yoda and smile.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to participate in the pure, unadulterated joy that is the Griswolders Christmas Decorating Club, by all means click the Griswolders link and ask to join! Jennifer as admin would love to have you. The Goss household is living proof you don't have to own a single outdoor decoration to join (although there's a fair chance you'll own more than one after a week or two in the group). After that you might check out our new article on local light show contests and the national competition hosted by Ace Hardware that could seriously benefit Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. We all might could make that happen just by every one of us, one by one, making 2020 a little brighter in our own way.
And definitely drive by the Grzegorczyk light show one more time with some donations for The Well Outreach!
Many thanks to Jennifer Corcoran for the unexpected little holiday happiness that is the Griswolders Christmas Decorating Club.
Sometimes in 2020, you have no idea what you're getting into, but it's not so bad after all.
Do you have a holiday light show you'd like to share with the community? Tag your photo on Facebook with @Mackidfranklinspringhill and we'll be in touch!
If we get enough tags we'll put together an article or flip book just for fun!
