Holidays and Hons

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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Last night Cooper and I met some friends in Hamden to visit Baltimore's own Miracle on 34th Street. It wasn't too crowded - it was very, very cold - but the lights were out in full force, as always.

I took a bunch of pictures, but the one I wanted most didn't turn out quite right. One house, around the corner from the famous block, decorates their entire house around a Christmas Story-esque leg lamp. Unfortunately, it was too dark around the house to really capture the essence of the lamp.

But...I captured a lot of other essences...

Lit and glittery pink flamingos are out in full force in Hamden this time of year. A shop window down the street from the lights:

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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

All the Whos down in Whoville really were singing:

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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

This big, crazy half-religious, half-Santa yard is a good example of what how most of the houses on 34th Street decorate:

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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Local artist Jim Pollock opens his home/studio during the Christmas season. He's got some CRAZY metal sculptures inside his house. Some are, um, kind of disturbing, especially juxtaposed with the Santas and Grinches outside. But in addition to the darker work, he uses a lot of Baltimore imagery, such as metal crabs, Old Bay tins and Natty Boh cans.

This Christmas tree sits in his front yard:

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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

A close-up of the tree:


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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

The second-to-last house is usually open to the public, but it wasn't last night. The train wasn't running either:


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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

And, finally, the view from the porch of the last (or first, if you go the other way) house. The owners of this house display a bunch of certificates of thanks they've received from mayors and the city. There's also a guestbook, and a note that says that the family who lived in that house (until recently), the Hoziers, started the tradition of the over-the-top lights in 1947.


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Originally uploaded by Kit Pollard.

Looking at the lights doesn't actually take a very long time, especially on a night like last night, when it's not crowded. It is such a fun Christmassy thing to do, though. Afterwards, we retired to the bar at Cafe Hon, finishing out the night with super-cheap beer and Irish music. Good times overall.