Holiday Lights of McMinnville, Tennessee

McMinnville, Tennessee is home to the Warren County seat. In the town's square, a running fountain and surrounding displays were decked out with the lights of the season last month.

Despite cold nighttime temperatures in the low teens during the Christmas week, the city display featured a full spectrum of color without a trace of snow.

Main Street's glow was a spectacular sight even for those foolish enough to venture out and photograph the displays in the freezing temperatures.

After seeing me and my tripod gear in or near the street, drivers in passing cars stopped in the middle of the road, rolled down their windows, learned out and snapped photos from their cell phones of the lite landscape. They had the good sense to keep warm and only were exposed for a few moments of the seasonally cold Tennessee weather.

When to Put Away Christmas Decorations

As long as people have been decorating homes with Christmas themed ware the question exists - when to take it all down. Some people leave outdoor holiday bright lights up all year round. Others take down both their indoor and outdoor displays shortly after January 1st. Perhaps it really doesn't matter as long as you enjoy the decorations. However when the calendar goes into February the Christmas bulbs tend to look out of place. But worry not. November will be here in 11 months and you may display it all again - or wait until December.

Things from Christmas Past

Take a stroll through Grapevine Antiques in Amana, Iowa during December and you will find lots of things that people once used to celebrate Christmas.

Large colorful lights once used to decorate indoor Christmas trees now fill a white porcelain pan. A box of red ball ornaments from the 1950s sits nearby.

A toy helicopter without its main rotor blade, stands out among the Santas, old tinsel and nativity scenes. This small item once symbolized fascination with the Santa delivery concept, the emergence of Rudolf, and an ideal of plentiful gift giving of a particular era. Today the copter with a few photographic modifications can still draw the imagination of a once small child. Know that.