Illumination street week showcases people’s passion in the United Kingdom for lighting up their gardens, homes, and community on the build-up to Christmas. There is also a competition that inspires everybody to use their imagination and create beautiful displays full of Christmas Spirit. Registration launched on the 1st of November 2021 and will close on the 12th of December.
I love to look at Christmas displays in my area. Some of the houses look like Las Vegas, not like a small market town of Uttoxeter. Their owners must be so proud of them. And I bet it takes them weeks, if not months, to plan their display. But it’s worth it, and I must salute them for their efforts.
It will brighten up your day.
If you like it or not, all these displays brighten up our lives. It has been two challenging years for all of us. I think small things like Illumination week are good for our mental well-being. They redivert our minds and makes us think about something bright & beautiful 😊
Cultural shock.
My husband is a big fan of illuminating our house from inside. He never takes it outside of our home, only inside. Pretty much every downstairs space gets his “loving” attention. When we had our first Christmas together, it was, for me, a complete cultural shock. Until then, I was used to only modest lit-up Christmas trees, which was all. Owen would put up bright multicoloured lights, decorations with lights everywhere. You name it; he had it covered. Even our sofas have a unique light tube wrapped around their basis. This bright festive illumination will last for about four weeks. This year I am looking forward to it as it will be my grandson’s 2nd Christmas, so he will be more aware of things, probably trying to smash or pull down all the decorations. 😉
And what about dogs?
Since I started working at Vita Canis, I’m always thinking about how things affect dogs. So even now, writing about the Illumination street week, I’m thinking: What’s dogs’ perception of illuminated streets?
What can they see? Which are the easiest colours for them?
And I learned that dogs have dichromatic vision. Colours such as red or green they perceived as a shade of grey. Therefore, blue or yellow are the easiest colours for dogs to see and the most attractive colours for them to see. I didn’t find any mention that the lights as such are dangerous for dogs. Dogs just see a different spectrum of colours as us. The real danger is that they can burn themselves on the bulbs or become entangled in the cables. Some animals may chew through cables resulting in fatal electric shock. Never leave them unsupervised near festive lights if they can reach them.
Are you going to make your festive lighting display this year?
Bea xx