Strolling the paths of Shore Acres is always a treat, no matter the season. My husband and I had the privilege of heading out there this Christmas Eve for their gorgeous holiday lights! Christmas time is my absolute favorite time to visit Shore Acres. The people of the community, as well as those working at and for Shore Acres, work extremely hard to put on one of the most magnificent holiday light shows ever imagined.
Running from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, this year's light show was their 25th annual. Topping out at about 300,000 lights, their anniversary was an amazing sight to behold. Whether you go walking around the pond, skipping through the garden paths, or are peeking on Santa in his bathtub upstairs in the guest house, you will be delighted with the beautiful decorations of our state park.
This was my husband's first trip to the lights. I relished in the way he held his breath at the displays, as well as how his eyes widened in awe at the view from the second-story window of the guest house.
As for these two photos, I loved the way one group decorated the tree in front of the annual blue whale. Decorated with our American flag, proudly glowing in the center and surrounded by MIA and POW ornaments, this tree was by far my favorite in the park. It reminded me of all of our soldiers out there cold and lonely this Christmas, as well as vets and all other souls who must spend this holiday season alone, or never made it home at all.
In the second shot, we see my favorite over-all scene from Shore Acres, The pond! The two heron statues glow red and gold as the lights strung from bushes and trees around the waterhole glow brightly and reflect pretty colors back at themselves, making for an extremely colorful scene.
I could write forever about the beauties of Shore Acres' holiday lights, but I will end by saying that it is absolutely breathtaking and I could never express it's beauty with mere words. I truly hope you each have the chance to see this or another amazing show this year and many years to come.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a safe and fun New Year! I hope your Christmases were full of love, laughter, and friendly faces. God bless you all!
By Chelle152 from Coquille, OR
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
The photos you sent inspired me to find out more. I have lived there for a long time several times, but never got to see these.
You will all enjoy this short but pretty slideshow.
N-Joy!
Thank you for the link! Loved the slideshow! Shore Acres is one of my favorite places on Earth!
For any who are interested... Here is a link, as well :) It's another slideshow of the amazing Christmas lights at Shore Acres State Park. My husband put it together for me, inspired by the link posted for me to watch. If you watch, I hope you guys enjoy! God bless!
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Ah, my favorite time of the year! I know it's a little past Christmas, but I couldn't help myself, I had to post these festive photos! I have included 8 shots, and I think I covered just about everything I had taken pictures of that night. Unfortunately, I was still getting used to my new camera, so it died before I was able to capture ALL of the wonderful decorations at this park, but these people do an AMAZING job each year!
They use thousands of LED lights to make for the most festive display in Coos County, and possibly on the entire Oregon Coast. In the first image, I have, in my opinion, one of the prettiest Christmas trees at the park. I loved the classic bells and stars!
We then have some of the funny little critters that crawl out each year to join the festivities. I wasn't able to get the angle quite wide enough, but, on the other side of the snail, there was a little green cricket, too. I always think these guys are absolutely adorable! And the kiddos love them, too!
Then, we have one of my favorite areas, the Pavilion! No one was performing that night, but they sometimes have local choirs and bands performing and they always do a lovely job. I think it's gorgeous the way they have the lights dangling from the roof of the pavilion and the way it makes it glow such a bright, golden color!
The next photo I uploaded shows the two-story guest house. My camera unfortunately died before I was able to take photos of the GORGEOUS decorations (not to mention delicious apple cider and cookies) that they have inside, nor the amazing view from the second-story window. But, I was able to capture the golden glow of the house, the amazing Christmas tree in front, which was topped with our glorious American flag, and the dazzling lights and dancing colors surrounding the home, as well as the walkway leading up to it.
The next shot is a closer look at the house and the decorated flora surrounding it. These lights never cease to amaze me! And the people who put it together work so hard, mucho props to them! They did a fabulous job, once again, this last year!
The next photo was shot from the back porch of the guest house. It shows about a 1/4 of the park, giving you a better depiction of exactly how decked out this place gets! All I can say is, WOW!
Then, we have the pond. I absolutely LOVED walking over the little bridge with my husband. It may sound silly, but it was a dream I'd had since I was a little girl. Going out to Shore Acres around Christmas time and walking over their pretty little decorated bridge, hand-in-hand with a man I just couldn't get enough of. And, this last December, it came true! I was beaming as we strolled over that bridge. It brought so many memories back for me; Me as a little girl watching my parents stroll arm-in-arm over the bridge, hoping one day I would have that life, that feeling, that love.
And, last but not least, I have a shot of the annual blue whale. This guy sits in the same part of the garden each year, and the water from his spout actually comes and goes. I was excited to be able to capture him in full-spout! Lol. He is one of my favorite attractions and brings back many memories of my childhood, as well.
Shore Acres has been a part of my life since year one. I really do enjoy having the opportunity to share its loveliness with all of you here on ThriftyFun! I hope many of you are given the chance to come visit one year! It's a sight you will never, ever forget. If you do get a chance, during any season, don't forget to bring your camera! Trust me, you'll want it!
God bless, everyone! And let's hope to keep the Christmas cheer going all year in 2012! Have a good one :D
By Chelle152 from Coquille, Oregon
Beautiful shots and thanks for sharing and enjoy your camera...
Thank you! I love sharing everything here with the ThrifyFun community :) I hope to enjoy my camera more as soon as this insane weather here on the Oregon Coast calms down! God bless :)
