"Grab your jacket," my father says to me. He seems in a hurry. He has the car keys in hand. My mom and brothers are all scattered around, shopping and playing around with friends. It is about 8:30 p.m., quite dark to be going places.

"Where are we going?" I yell up the stairs at him.

"I thought we might take a drive!" Oh no. He is going to give me a lecture of why I can't have a cell phone or about how he won't allow me to go out on a date.

"Okay head out to the car! I just need to grab my jacket. Do you have yours?"

"I have mine don't worry Dad. Is the car unlocked?"

"Yes it is and I am coming." He jumps into the car and smiles at me.

"What is up with you today?"

He shrugs and starts the car. It purrs as he turns the key all the way. I press the seat warmer on. The heater takes a little while to come on but I figure since we are taking a drive we might be a while. "So what are we up to?" I ask him.

"Oh just around the neighborhood." He smiles and laughs to himself. I don't get it. Where is he taking me? I don't see it entirely the least bit funny. We are driving a ways. He turns the corner and it's like the street of dreams or something. The houses are so large; each one is 3 stories tall. Some may be even 4 stories. He continues driving down the street, going this way and that. When we come to a stop I look at him and look at the street we are parked on. Nothing special. A couple houses with halfway decent Christmas lights. Maybe someone we know lives on this road; I don't recognize it though. Hmm... I just don't know.

"Get out of the car."

What?? Where are we? And why are we getting out here?

"Come on Nicole. I have a surprise for you."

Okay, okay, he knows how much I love surprises. But I honestly can't figure this one out. "Wait, what is on this street that is so important?"

"Not this street. Just follow me. You will see what is so important." He still has the smile on his face. I wonder if it is really that exciting. It must be to get a smile that big.

"Welllllll... we're heeeeeeeeeeeeerrre!!!!!!!!!!" He sounds almost like the girl on poltergeist. I don't see anything. And then I turn around and see the row of houses along side me.

"Wow!"

"You like???"

The first house had lights with bulbs of every color imaginable all along the roof tops. The windows had shining lights of snowflakes lined up. It looks so beautiful. The trees are covered with those pretty icicle lights that you can get to make it look like icicles coming down. They were so bright. There were many other decorated houses. One house had a Santa Claus on his sleigh with all the reindeers. It lit up one line of reindeer at a time and the words lighting up on Santa's part of the display was 'Ho' then turned off and the next 'Ho' glowed and then the next 'Ho'. It was pretty, no... more like beautiful. "It's amazing."

"I thought you would like it."

Of course I like it. I look down the street at all the shining houses. I notice one with bright lights flashing along the roof, another set of lights make out the words "Come here Santa". We just stand there in awe of the houses with lights. And in the yard it has a snow-man lighting up and has hands out waving. There are too many houses with decorations to name all of them. Amazing view though; they are the prettiest houses I have ever seen. I love Christmas!

"Dad they are beautiful!!!"

"I know. Let's head home though it's getting late. We will head out for more light seeing with your mom and brothers tomorrow night."

"Oh... alright."

When we get home we run into my mom. She must have come home early from shopping or it is later then I thought. Oops, it is later than I thought. 9:30 p.m. No wonder I am getting a little tired.

"Where were you guys?" My mom asks me.

"Oh, out somewhere. Mom they were so beautiful!!! All that I could get out was "Wow, the Christmas lights are back!" I smile at my dad and head up to bed.