You're all so kind. If I hear anything from the police, I'll post an update. You know--when I read the suggestion that these kids have their gifts taken (or stomped on) I thought, 'that's what I'd probably write to someone else in this situation'. But in all honesty? I don't even wish that upon these kids. It wouldn't make things right, and I just don't have it in me this year to be vindictive about this. Mostly, I just feel hurt. Now, mind you, I do think there would be some value in it, if their parents brought them over the weekend after New Year's and the families HELPED take the decorations down and organize them for next year's display. Maybe they'd all see how much work and effort goes into this. It takes my husband a couple of weeks prepping the stuff, and then usually a good week and a half of working pretty long hours to get it all up.

did you see the show on (Monday?) about people trying to win 50 grand? it's on again next week... we used to go to chula vista ca to the "candy cane lane" lights....every home on either side of the street had some form of decoration... but the very best? one night when the kids were pretty small, we'd piled in the car (no seatbelts those days) to drive around the neighborhood...as we past the last block it was perfect timing....here was a santa clause complete with a bag of gifts headed to a party...the kids about fell out of the car! he was so nice to wish them a merry Christmas...that was one night they believed!

Cathy, Most of us use ordinary paper bags and fill about a quarter of it with sand. This 'rounds' the bag out and actually makes the sides of it quite rigid. The candles we normally use are the tealights/votives so they nestle carefully in the sand and the flame is not high. Other neighbours use taller candles and they tend to also use wooden skewers around the inside of the bag to support the sides of the bag and to ensure the bag doesn't collapse on the candle and get set alight. Some neighbours put their candles in cut-up and up-turned softdrink bottles to make a 'lantern' effect. We have had two Christmas Eves with firebans and needed to check witht he police and fire departments. On both occasions we were allowed to go ahead as long as each participating house had their garden hose in easy reach of the candles. We haven't had any mishaps- we all love it and so there are lots of people out and about. It is great to see all the generations strolling around and chatting to neighbours.

I live in zone 4, with some temps that border on zone 3, and I leave the glass bottles on my bottle tree and in my garden borders on stakes out all winter. Marlene hit it on the head with her observation that water getting into a bottle or glass bowl and then freezing is what typically causes breakage. My bottles are all upside down, so they stay safe during the coldest winters. Animals running through a garden account for the breakages I've experienced, but this can happen in any season!