On this Christmas Day, I’m taking a break from my weekly Recommended Reading feature and am instead sharing some Christmastime photos I made recently.
Every year since 1962, the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers strings lights from the top of the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument to the ground. The Circle of Lights is visible for a good long way from Monument Circle, which stands at the heart of Downtown Indianapolis.
Here’s the lit monument from a block south, on the old National Road.

Margaret and I walked over to the monument so we could photograph the lights, and the monument, up close.




I shot my Nikon Df with a 28-80 f/3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor lens attached. I set the camera to choose ISO automatically so I could get fast enough shutter speeds, but it wasn’t perfect and about two thirds of my images were blurry. But these that turned out look pretty good.
As we walked around the outside of the monument, we noticed the patterns and pictures being projected on the Circle’s buildings. My favorite was Circle Tower, which reminded me of sticks of Fruit Stripe gum.


Happy Christmas to you and yours!
A Merry Christmas from a grey and oddly warm London.
Best wishes for a safe and peaceful New Year.
David
It’s sunny and oddly warm here today! Crazy weather. Happy Christmas to you!
Merry Christmas Jim, to you and your family. Peace on Earth, and goodwill to all mankind.
Happy Christmas to you as well!
Happy Christmas!!!
Likewise! Enjoy your holidays!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from sunny Florida. Former Indy resident here. Always enjoy your posts. Also, enjoyed reading A Place to Start this year.
Same to you! And I’m pleased that you bought my book.
Love that last picture. Merry Christmas Jim.
Thanks Stewart! Hope yours was happy.
Merry Christmas, Jim. You’re right about the Circle tower looking like Fruit Stripe gum, btw! Neat.
-Jason
I wonder if that’s what they were going for!
The Circle Tower is great, but I think my favorite is the one looking up the monument from inside the lights.
Thanks – that’s my favorite too!
Lovely lights! Merry Christmas Jim!
Thanks Steve! Hope yours was happy.
It has been a long time since I have trekked downtown to see the Christmas decorations, so thanks for this sampling.
I can’t say that I’m a fan of the trend towards the patterned floodlights, but I am probably in the minority.
The floodlights worked better on some buildings than on others. The IPL building had some indiscernible pattern on it, for example.
Merry Christmas from southern Ohio where it was a very wet, gloomy Christmas!
I hope you and your family enjoyed your Christmas despite the gloom!
We did. An aunt and uncle came for lunch so there was good company, gifts and lots of food!
Merry Christmas Jim. Hope you had a good one and have a happy new year.
Thanks Nigel – I hope your holiday was happy!