National Association for the Advancement of Colored Lights

"I have a dream that my two children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their Christmas lights, but by the quality of their decorations.

I have a dream today! YEEEEEAAAAAARRRRGGGGH!"

(oops, accidentally got part of Howard Dean's "I Have a Scream" speech.)

Three years ago I posted an item on my preference for colored Christmas lights as opposed to white lights. And yet, as I travel through my neighborhood I see more and more people putting up those dreadful white icicle lights and buying artificial trees pre-lit with white lights. Yuck.

It's clear that lights of color are becoming an increasingly small minority in the holiday decorating community, and I've decided to do something about it. I've started the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Lights (NAACL). For Facebook members, I've set up a group that you can join and upload your lights of color photos

Why an organization like this? So that the white lightists can't steal the dream and convince you that the holidays would be better if all Christmas lights were white. The NAACL will promote diversity, justice, and equal opportunity for lights of color. Take an affirmative action and pledge to employ lights of color in your Christmas decorations.

And to show you that I'm walking the walk and not just talking the talk, here are this year's Christmas decoration photos. Yes, you will find some white lights in there. I don't have a quota system that requires a certain percentage of lights of color, but if a white light goes out, it will be replaced with color.

First we have the front driveway:

Then the recently shorn tree, which opened up the branches nicely for no less than 7 glowing spheres in different colors and five shining stars:
The walkway up to the front door:

The Norfolk pines in the entryway:

And finally the banister and top of the stairway which is visible from the front walk:

It takes four different timers to control all this stuff. Every year at this time my wife starts calling me "Clark" (after Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - best Christmas movie ever).