A stunning low price of $35. A slow, cheerful car ride with friends. Classic Christmas music. A very high electric bill. And, of course, a beautiful light show. A group of my friends and I drove down to Yardley, PA for a fun night last weekend. Shady Brook Farms lights 3 million lights upon their acres upon acres of land. They had illuminations of anything from Noah’s Arc, The Grinch, and Sammi McBride’s favorite, ducks. It is really the perfect holiday activity given what the pandemic has brought upon us.

A little overview of the trip. Prior to going, the purchase of a ticket is required. Then, when you get there just hop in line and within about 5 minutes, your entrance to the spectacular is admitted. There, you tune your radio to a certain station and coast under five miles an hour through the lights. The Drive-Thru started on November 21 and goes all the way up until January 10. And, the best part: it is rain or shine! It is the most ideal night out with friends and/or family given COVID – 19 and Christmas. You don’t have to step foot out of your car once, nor do you have to interact with any strangers. “My mom doesn’t let me out much but as long as I am with the same group of friends and not in public places, I am safe,” said Brooklynn Hudgins, one of the girls I was with.

As you go through the light show, the beginning is a bunch of setups that are commemorating all of Shady Brook’s sponsors. Then, there is an array of animals, snowmen, Disney characters, sports players, trains, etc. Everything you could ever think of was in this light show. “The best part was the candy cane forest. It was so well-done. It made an arc over all the cars and really lit the candy cane tunnel,” said Sammi McBride. There was a little section where you would drive through a bunch of trees wrapped in white and red lights. I agree with Sammi on this one, it really was the coolest part. Then as you approached the end, you could proceed right or turn left. As you turned right, you went back on the road to go home. But, when you turn left, a whole other winter wonderland is unlocked. To start, there was a little farm market with anything from various meats, to three-wick candles. Scattered throughout the place were campfires that you and your company could sit at and make smores. Then, of course, was Santa for the little ones. One of my favorite parts was the small-scale walk-through light show. It was the same exact thing as the drive-thru, but we walked. Along this whole journey after the drive-thru, there were all sorts of little setups and Christmas lights that were perfect for picture taking!

This was such an amazing experience! This is the first time I have gone with friends because now all of us can drive, but every year that I can remember, my family and I visit Shady Brook every holiday season. In fact, we already went this year and we are going again on December 26 with my whole Dad’s side of the family!