It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Like every town in America, Loveland has blossomed out with Christmas lights. Tonight I saw that the Outlet Shops of Loveland have assembled their annual Twelve Days of Christmas display, in which the hens and the maids and the drummers are outlined by strings of lights. From side angles the hubbub appears as a bright chaos, but as you drive along, the apparent disorder resolves into figures—78 in all, which certainly should be enough to satisfy any holiday shopper or child.

The lords a-leaping immediately put me in mind of one of America’s favorite musicals. Take a look. Except for what appears to be a fatuous grin on the face of the red-shirted guy, I see the Jets here, or maybe the Sharks. Jerome Robbins lives in Christmas lights!

Lords a-leapiing

The five gold rings weren’t any great shakes, but I very much liked the seven swans a-swimming and the six geese a-laying. One of the swans appears to be het up about something. Note that apparently only one of the geese a-laying has produced eggs, but she’s balancing atop 21 of them, which is quite an achievement. Whoever designed this display had a sense of humor. One of the eggless geese is looking back with envy, or possibly pique, or maybe just grudging admiration.

Swans a-swimming

Geese a-laying

These iPhone photographs aren’t very good, alas. It was cold, and I opted for taking pictures from the warmth of the car. The technique definitely suffered (there was actually no “technique” to speak of, and almost nothing in the way of composition either). But my fingers stayed warm.