* The Cover - one of my favorite North
Carolina Christmas sights has always been the
lighted trees in Cameron Village Shopping
Center in Raleigh. I remember being wowed
by them back in the 70's when I first came to
graduate school at North Carolina State
University.
When designing the book, I wanted the
Cameron Village lighted trees to be on the
cover of Christmas Lights, but I also wanted
to include the Moravian stars from my
hometown of Winston-Salem. It was obvious
the two cities simply needed to merge! After
much thought, I created old-fashioned light
posts and hung Winston-Salem's Moravian
stars on Raleigh's Cameron Street. As I was
finishing the painting, I realized that the
decorated light posts were very reminiscent
of the street decorations in downtown
Winston-Salem.
A quick note about Moravian stars -
The first ones were made of paper and
lighted with small oil lamps. Today
you buy them in a kit and put them together,
but they are usually plastic. They are so
beautiful and popular that these days they
can be seen on front porches across the country.
Moravian stars are on the front of the Christmas
Lights book not only because they are beautiful,
but also because they were the very first American
Christmas light. One other curious fact you
might like to know about Moravian stars : although
Americans only put out white ones, Canadians and
Germans put up red/ yellow combination stars.
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* On the first page of the book a family is
climbing into their car to cruise off and see
the Christmas lights. Many readers ask if
this is my family, and it isn't. We don't
have a daughter or a dog. However, it is much
like our west Raleigh front yard, complete with
station wagon, post light, big pots, and
Nandina plants. Oh, I almost forgot about the
bear. All three of our boys had a favorite bear.
I had lots of models to choose from.
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* As the family begins their journey down
the road from their house toward the city, they
are traveling through some of my favorite
North Carolina landscape. My husband was
born in Mt. Airy, and I have often traveled
Highway 52 North from Winston-Salem to
Mt. Airy. This drive is so beautiful, with its
rolling hills, fields, and forests. When I closed
my eyes, I pictured what this country road
should look like, the landscapes of Stokes
and Surry Counties just appeared.
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* Around the first turn, the family spots their
first sight - a lighted television tower.
Everyone in Wake County knows that the
holiday season has officially begun when
WRAL Channel 5 lights up its TV tower. The
actual setting for the tower (Western Blvd.) has
been altered for the story line, but the spirit of
the WRAL television tower shines through.
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* The woods scene is one of my favorites
and is based on a true story. A gentleman who
lives behind Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh
does in fact light one tree every year for each
of his grandchildren. I like to believe the big
trees are for the older children and the little
trees are for the newborns.
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* The artist's house illustration was also
inspired by beautiful and creative decorations
on a house in my Raleigh neighborhood. The
homeowner, a landscape designer, made the
forms for the stars out of bamboo.
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* Although many fast-food places have
incredible decorations for the holidays, this
particular scene was inspired by a Hardee's on
Falls of the Neuse in Raleigh. Many readers
have told me that similar decorations are on
top of the Hardee's Restaurants across North
Carolina. The last time I saw the decorations
they were on the top of a Hardees on First
Street at Wake Forest University Hospital in
Winston-Salem. Children in the Brenner
Children's Hospital can look out of their
hospital room windows down onto the
decorations, definitely a cheery sight
if you have to be in the hospital at
Christmas.
Although these are not the exact Hardee's
decorations, this scene definitely has
the flavor of the place (couldn't resist the pun)!
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* The pond and lighted train was inspired
by a scene I remembered at Pullen Park in
Raleigh. As far as I know, the Raleigh Parks
Department lighted the train only one year, but
the reflection in the water was so beautiful that
it really stayed in my memory.
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* The apartment balconies are a creation
from my mind's eye, but they were inspired by
a wonderful old set of apartments (The Wilmont)
on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Several of the
tenants in this apartment building leave their
Christmas lights on the balconies lighted all
year long. I spotted their lights one warm
summer night and thought about all the urban
children who have only balconies to decorate.
A sight like this had to be included in the
book.
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* The steam plant was added to the book late
in the writing. Inspired by the lighted North
Carolina State steam plant at the end of McDowell
Street, the sight surprises Christmas Lights readers and Raleigh drivers alike.
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* Everyone who has traveled to the North
Carolina State Capitol will recognize the
Archdale Building as the "box for the
biggest present in the world." The Archdale
Building is the home of the North Carolina
Department of Crime Control and Public
Safety and Environmental Health, and Natural
Resources. Outlining a building in white
lights for the holidays is common across the
United States, but I like the fact that one of our
own North Carolina State government
buildings was the inspiration for this illustration.
When I painted this illustration, the Archdale Building
was the only state government building lighted.
Today when you come to Raleigh, you will see many
government buildings outlined in lights for the holiday
season.
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* The sidewalks lined with luminaries and
the lighted pine tree trunks were also
inspired by sights in suburbs and towns across
North Carolina. Readers have told me that
luminaries originated in Mexico where the paper
bag lights are traditionally put out on Christmas
Eve to light the way for the arrival of the Christ
Child.
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* I call the house where you can "hear the
lights " the "Over-the-Top House." It was
inspired by a residence in Cary (Medlin Dr.)
Like many of us, the folks who own this house
have added a few more lights every year until
there is hardly a spot left to decorate.
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* As our Christmas Lights family makes
their way home, they see a lighted car. When
you visit downtown Cary, don't miss the
inspiration for this illustration - an old lighted
Mercedes with a very special driver! I was
looking for a way to enhance the light shining
of the sides of the car and remembered the
stately Colorado Blue Spruces that are planted
right on the edges of the two-lane roads in
Granville County.
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* Finally at home, the children rush in to see
their own lighted tree topped, of course, with a
Moravian star. The tree itself is decorated with
homemade popcorn and cranberry strings,
paper chains, and bubble lights. Many of the
ornaments were inspired by the ornaments on
the giant, Christmas tree in the sanctuary of
Highlant Methodist Church in Raleigh. The
same oversized, white ornaments have been
used to decorate the Highland tree generation
after generation. This tree is called a
"Chrismon Tree" - a combination of
Christ and monogram (symbols that stand
for Christ).
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* For a perfect Christmas, everyone wants
snow. As you know, we never, well almost
never, get a white Christmas in North Carolina.
That's the wonderful thing about making up
your own story. We can have just what we
wish for!
As the snow begins to fall, the last page wishes
us all a "Good Christmas" and a "Good night."
The children are tucked in, but we can see their
lighted tree still shining from the window.
The post light is still on and so
are the lights that decorate their split rail fence.
The family home was inspired by the 1899
Puckett Farm House in Granville County.
Although I have never visited the house, I saw
a picture in Catherine Bishir's and Tim
Buchman's book North Carolina Architecture.
When I found this picture, it seemed to be
the perfect house for our Christmas Lights
family.
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* Now you know the inside story on
Christmas Lights. It was great to share this
North Carolina connection with you!
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