December Create: Santa's Beach Party
Created | Updated Dec 20, 2015
Where does Santa go on his holiday? To the beach, of course.
Santa's Beach Party
The other night, some of us visited Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland, a sound and light show. The Shadrack people are putting up these drive-through light displays in various states in the US. Along with the usual holiday motifs, the designers have imagined what Santa and the reindeer get up to when they aren't delivering presents. Apparently, they have a beach party.
These light and LED displays are frankly amazing. The huge display, which is spread out over acres at the Butler, Pennsylvania fairground, is fully synchronised with the music you listen to on your car radio. In other words, the lights are popping off and on, making gorgeous patterns in the dark, all to exuberant Christmas songs.
And then there are the surprises, like what Santa's up to:
Santa appears to be enjoying himself. He's awfully spry for his age. And he's really into the water sport.
This nautical motif made me suspicious, so I read the programme. Sure enough, Shadrack's is a boat-building company from Bristol, Tennessee. The holiday light display idea came about as a means of keeping their employees in work during the off-season for boat builders. What a happy thought.
A lot of imagination and hard work must go into this. But, like the relaxing reindeer, they have fun doing it. At least, they say so, and we believe them. We certainly enjoyed watching and listening.
The fly in the ointment for the northerners was that there wasn't any snow yet this year. They opined that the display would be even more spectacular with the lights bouncing off fields of white stuff. But there's time yet before Christmas, and the cars keep coming.
Who says technology and tradition don't mix? Enjoy some highlights from the synchroniszation courtesy of a kind Youtuber.
