(Courtesy Jamie Lipman)

Community cooperation

Lighting up the neighborhood

While it's nice to bask in the glory of one's own private light display, sometimes folks decide to get together to turn up the wattage. In the case of Austin, Texas, the result of such a collaboration is the Lightmare on 37th Street.

It's all Jamie Lipman's fault.

"I just started putting up Christmas lights (about 15 or 16 years ago)," Lipman says. "Nothing exotic, but it grew a little bit year in, year out."

One year, Lipman and a neighbor decided to connect -- across the street.

"Once we did that, everybody said, 'Wow, we wanna do that,'" Lipman says. And from there, the annual extravaganza exploded.

Last year, Lipman says, 23 of 25 houses on the street (10 blocks) from the University of Texas were lit. There are even "light fairies" who help older neighbors get ready for the big display.

Thousands of people come by 37th Street every year -- so many that the neighborhood's residents now recommend that visitors walk the street instead of drive.

Lipman has a tale of his own about one particular visitor, Sharon Smith, who came by to see his lights five years ago.

"A mutual friend brought her over to see the lights and meet me," he says, "and everything else paled in comparison."

It was love at first light. The two were married 50 days later.

(Courtesy Newton Area Business Association)

About 275 miles (442 kilometers) east of Austin, the town of Newton, Texas, also shows off its civic pride in lights. The Newton Area Business Association drapes the 94-year-old courthouse with more than 18 miles (29 kilometers) of lights. Every window and gable, and even the 120-foot (37-meter) high clock tower, is outlined, while a winter festival takes place at the stately building's feet.

The whole town of 2,000 takes part, with a Santa's Workshop featuring local craft makers and a train ride through town to view the lights. Carolers, Santa and a live nativity scene are also scheduled for Courthouse Square during the season.