Every year around this time, the nightly drive around the neighborhood becomes a trip down Candycane Lane. During the Christmas holiday, the communities around Kingstowne light up like no other community around. It is a great evening spent driving around neighborhoods looking at the lights. One house in particular had a pink flying pig in a tree.
I just had to stop and see all of the wonderful decorations as well as the overabundance of white lights. While checking out the lifesize Santas and snowmen, I was able to talk to the owners. The Smiths on Hereford Court have been decorating their property since moving in the house in 1999. Their house, as well as others in the neighborhood, take pride in the season and really light up the night.
Tim Smith and his family spend days putting up Christmas lights for others to enjoy. They then collect toys for a non-profit organization. The cars are driving past while you can practically hear the "oohs and ahhhs" from the passengers inside. Anyone who stops by can leave a donation for a charity called Cole's Closet, http://colescloset.org/, an organization dedicated to assisting families with children suffering from critical, chronic or terminal diseases in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area.
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Anyone can donate unwrapped toys, financial assistance and other support items.
This family is one of the things that I love about the Kingstowne area. After talking to the family, I asked about how much the electric bill is at Christmastime. Tim stated that his wife, Carmen, doesn't let him see the electric bill, and he doesn't want to know how much it is.
