Neighbors’ Glory
Feast of Saint Barbara or Eid il-Burbara
That One Street Where Every House is Lit Up
About Neighbors’ Glory
Neighbors’ Glory celebrates the magical phenomenon of entire neighborhoods transformed into glowing Christmas wonderlands. These dazzling streets—where every house sparkles with a million LEDs and a dozen waving animatronic Santas you can see from the highway—are a testament to the collective holiday spirit. No one really knows how it starts, but somewhere along the way, everyone joins in, and the decorations become increasingly elaborate. For many, the joy comes from simply driving through these illuminated neighborhoods and marveling at the blinking nativity scenes (which for some reason feature dancing flamingos). For others, it’s a chance to up their own lighting game, inspired by their neighbors’ creativity. On this day, we also honor St. Barbara, whose feast day coincides, and whose association with lightning makes her an apt companion. So crank up your favorite Christmas playlist and savor a candy cane or two as you drive around the block slowly, taking in starlight brought down to earth.
Ways to observe
(A) Low effort
Take an evening drive to a nearby neighborhood known for its spectacular Christmas lights. Bring a thermos of hot cocoa for the journey.
(B) Recommended
Organize a walking or driving tour with your family and friends to enjoy the best-decorated streets in your area. Bring along holiday treats to share and vote on your favorite house.
(C) High effort
Go all out on your own holiday decorations. Upgrade your lighting display to rival your neighbors’ with synchronized music, inflatable decorations, and maybe even a projection show. Invite friends over for a ‘lighting unveiling’ party.
Inspiration
It’s easy to confuse today with its sister-holiday, Fortnight Lights (Day 12). Both celebrate the majesty of houses drenched in light and festooned with inflatable deer and eight-foot nutcrackers. But while Fortnight Lights is about the personal agony of decorating your own house, Neighbors’ Glory is about something stranger: the communal escalation that turns entire neighborhoods into glowing holiday battlegrounds of joy. It usually starts with one house. Maybe two. By the following year, it’s a cul-de-sac. Then a street. And before long, people drive in from three counties away, inching through at two miles per hour, windows down, jaws slack. What makes these displays so magical—and a bit eerie—is that there’s rarely anyone on hand to thank. No ticket dispenser or carnival barker. The roots of this phenomenon trace back to the early 20th century when weatherproof bulbs made outdoor displays possible. But it wasn’t until the post–World War II suburban boom that neighborhoods began organizing full-scale lighting takeovers, sometimes cooperatively, sometimes competitively. Meanwhile, St. Barbara’s feast day adds a fitting layer to the madness. A 3rd-century Christian martyr associated with protection and sudden flashes of light, she’s honored in many cultures with candles, cherry branches, and the occasional firework. If ever there were a patron saint for neighborhoods that glow like runway tarmacs, she’s it.
Adornments
Watch
‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas (2021)
A quirky documentary about an Idaho man whose over-the-top holiday light shows run afoul of his neighbors and homeowners’ association, igniting a legal battle over the biggest Christmas display the town has ever seen.
The Great Christmas Light Fight (TV Series, 2013+)
This long-running ABC reality competition showcases families and neighborhoods across America who go all out with dazzling, over-the-top holiday displays. From synchronized music shows to live DJ sets, each episode is a celebration of light and seasonal exuberance.
Listen
The House on Christmas Street by Judy Pancoast
The perfect anthem to the kind of home this day celebrates. It’s an earnest love letter to those bold enough to go all out in the name of holiday cheer.
Read
Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light by Jane Brox
A history of how humans learned to chase away the dark. Brox starts in the caves of prehistory and illuminates our journey from smoky tallow candles and gas lamps to the glow of Edison’s bulbs.
Share
Branches of Hope
On St. Barbara’s Day, cut a few fruit tree twigs (traditionally cherry branches) and gift them to neighbors or friends. In Central European custom, these Barbara branches are placed in a vase of water indoors on December 4. If all goes well, the bare sticks blossom by Christmas.