Night of Lights and Antique Christmas Goodness in St. Augustine, Florida

My favorite element of Christmas has always been the visuals, the smells being a close second. Not the food, surprisingly, but the evergreen tree and frankincense smells. The lights, the decorations that were bought down from the attic every year. I would lay under our Christmas tree and watch the dancing lights in perfect contentment. For about a decade now I've made it a point to enjoy Christmas lights on a huge scale and explore St. Augustine's ambitious "Night of Lights" every year.

I feel at home and sickly nostalgic every time I explore St. Augustine's touristy "Old City". It brings me right back to my childhood in Italy, where the mostly Catholic populace makes Christmas extremely festive. I remember narrow cobblestone streets twinkling with lights, smokey with rich frankincense and tables filled with earthy, lit, detailed, hand-crafted nativities called precepio.

Every time I visit St. Augustine I can easily see myself setting up a shop and staying forever, it's so homey and comfortable. Maybe one day! For now, I'm happy exploring more before settling down on one thing.

What's are your Christmas traditions? I want to work hard, save up and take a pilgrimage to snow with AJ. He's never seen it before! By the way, I'll be taking a break from posting (but never working, I'm an addict!) until December 26th, the day after Christmas. I'll have something interactive that I need your help with! Aaah! Hope you'll stop by. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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