Back for its 10th season: The Christmas Project!

This began innocently enough in 2010, when I decided to do something I'm normally adamant about resisting: braving the Thanksgiving weekend crowds. I opted to head into Boston that Friday to see the massive Faneuil Hall Christmas tree. I don't "do" the day after Thanksgiving. The crowds, shopping - none of it appeals to me. For some reason, though, that year I decided to break my own rule. The camera came along. (And something must have been in the water....because my husband, who is like-minded about crowds, tagged along, too!)

The tree was spectacular. The largest in New England, 2010's conifer was even taller than the one which stood in Rockefeller Plaza. Its immense size made it a challenge to compose a shot, but I like a creative challenge! The lights surrounding Quincy Market were also wonderful. Before I left that evening, I thought a return trip might be in order to photograph some of the other lights during that magical window when the sky turns from dark blue to bluish-purple, just before losing all color.

I made that second trip, and the rest is history! (Self-assignments can take on a life of their own.)

The fact that I lived in New England was most certainly a contributing factor to this becoming a "thing." In that part of the country, quaint holiday vignettes are scattered everywhere. Tall white church steeples, hundreds-of-years-old towns populated with red brick buildings, cobblestone streets, covered bridges.....and it's all decked out for the season. What's not to like?

That first season, I focused on Boston as well as small towns not far from my home. Because I prefer to shoot just before the sky has lost color, it means my evening (or early morning) sessions can last for only about twenty minutes.

The following year, I expanded across the southern part of New Hampshire.

Later, I broadened my scope - heading north to the Connecticut River Valley and the White Mountains. I went south to Newport, Rhode Island, Cape Ann, Massachusetts - and back to Boston. I did coastal Maine. New York, too.

In the years when I'd fly back to Illinois to visit family prior to the holidays, Chicago was added to the list. First I focused on the city. Next, I began scouting suburban neighborhoods: first near my hometown, then - everywhere. Light shows at the Arboretum in Lisle. The Botanic Garden in Glencoe. You name it!

The project became more challenging after we relocated from New England to the Intermountain West. These are wide-open spaces. It's sparsely populated between larger towns - and when you do find a downtown, you may not find much of a holiday display. Salt Lake City, Jackson, Wyoming and a few small towns in Eastern Idaho have delivered - but I've essentially exhausted everything within three hours of my home.

This situation has prompted me to greatly expand my scope. The entire U.S. and Canada are at play and I've considered Europe as well. (Number one on the European hit parade would have to be one of my favorite cities in the world: Edinburgh, Scotland.)

This year "The Project" took me beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. Since I flew in and out of Seattle, I was able to add the Space Needle's tree to the mix as a bonus.

I've already compiled my short list for Christmas 2020....

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season!