20 photos of Christmas, Day 20 | 'Merry Christmas' by candlelight; Santa's cookies

This image was created with a long exposure and me writing in the air with a lit candle. Dotting the I and crossing the T were the difficult parts. A little more about how this was done: I was constantly moving throughout the exposure, and the aperture was closed down to f/20, so I never showed up, just the candlelight.

Left for Santa last night, with candlelight in the background.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Merry Christmas. Enough said.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies
Day 15: A church cross at sunset
Day 16: Getting close to a ribbon with new lens
Day 17: Santa, with a significance
Day 18: Palm trees at sunset
Day 19: Santa takes break, catches some surf

20 photos of Christmas | The ones that didn't make the cut

A string of colorful icicle lights is featured in this long exposure in which I held open the shutter while pointing the camera at the lights and walking parallel to them. This image was made in Cocoa Village.

I've taken lots of Christmas-themed photos in the past 20 days leading up to the holiday itself. Now that Christmas is here, I'm dumping into one post the ones that didn't make the cut. There were several times when I couldn't decide which photo to use, and I eventually started simply posting several in one edition just to stop my agonizing.

The front of Bailey Jewelers in Cocoa Village is lit during twilight.

An inflatable Santa is lit by late-day sun in a Melbourne neighborhood.

Rain clouds provide a backdrop for an inflatable Santa set up in the lot of a used-car dealership near the intersection of NASA Boulevard and Wickham Road in Melbourne.

Santa Claus peers through a window of a shop in downtown Melbourne.

A nativity scene is set up in front of the Ice Cream Depot on Wickham Road in West Melbourne.

This is a horizontal version of a photo I did use, here.

A Christmas soldier is seen out of focus to accentuate the lens' bokeh.

Photography sometimes requires inventiveness when there's not much a shot to be had. That's the problem I was coping with when I saw a rainbow form but had difficulty spotting something that represented Christmas. The object was to get a Santa or a faux snowman with an arcing, Florida-typical rainbow in the background. Alas, I had no such luck as I was driving through West Melbourne during a light rain shower late in the day. The best I got was a stoplight with Christmas colors: red and green.

I stopped at a place selling Christmas trees, too, but the rainbow wasn't as prominent by that time.

20 photos of Christmas, Day 19 | Santa takes break, catches some surf

In front of his home in Cocoa Beach, George Trosset - wearing a beard of rags - rides the waves on Christmas Eve as part of a photo op pitched to my employer, FLORIDA TODAY.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Amid his frantic worldwide gift delivering, Santa Claus and two of his elves took a break to go surfing in Cocoa Beach this morning, Christmas Eve. Why he chose Florida - where the surf was of decent height but extremely choppy Thursday - over Hawaii or Australia, I do not know.

Only a staff photographer from FLORIDA TODAY and the surfers' family were initially on hand for the stunt - in addition to yours truly, of course. I heard of it only through the newspaper's photo editor. After the surfers attempted to catch a few waves, they attracted a few onlookers who were wondering what was happening.

The female elf threw in the towel quickly. The surf was simply too rough. The other elf braved the cool water for a while but never caught a wave. Santa himself managed a few decent runs, then went ashore after his helpers were safely on dry land.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies
Day 15: A church cross at sunset
Day 16: Getting close to a ribbon with new lens
Day 17: Santa, with a significance
Day 18: Palm trees at sunset

An elf, George Trosset Jr., cheers his father, Santa Claus, as Jolly Old St. Nick catches a wave.

One of Santa's helpers makes a quick stand before falling into shallow water and paddling back to shore.

Santa rides a pretty wave.

A boy - a member of Santa's gallery for the surfing event - plays with the sand as Claus comes ashore.

FLORIDA TODAY photographer Rik Jesse shoots a congratulatory smooch between Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

20 photos of Christmas, Day 18 | Palm trees at sunset

A crescent moon appears above decorated palm trees in Viera, just as the sun sets Tuesday.

Focusing on the colorful background Tuesday.

A moon thinly veiled by clouds Tuesday evening.

The stand of palms at sunset Monday, just to give you a little context.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


I never ceased to be amused - and sometimes, amazed - when I see palm trees decorated with Christmas lights. Such a sight truly is the quintessence of Christmas in Florida. The trunk is most often the thing that is decked out, while the canopy itself creates a bit of a challenge for people stringing up the lights: You can't just throw them on like you can do with most evergreen trees that grow up north.

In this edition, I focus on the trees at, once again, The Avenue Viera, an outdoor shopping mall full of similar cheesy sights throughout the year.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies
Day 15: A church cross at sunset
Day 16: Getting close to a ribbon with new lens
Day 17: Santa, with a significance

20 photos of Christmas, Day 17 | Santa, with a significance

This Christmas display was the simplest, most different, most meaningful one I have seen all season. The bird on the neighboring bush just made the photo more interesting.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Today's edition is, by far, my favorite yet - mainly because there's a story behind it.

I was driving along Croton Road near Melbourne's Mallards Landing Golf Course when something caught my eye. On Trevino Circle, one of the three intricately trimmed bushes beside a house was topped with a Santa Claus. On a second, a holly tree, a bird lit on its apex. I stopped, parked on the street and took a few shots with my new fixed 105mm lens.

A man walked from the front yard and asked if I thought the sight was a little out of the ordinary. Yes, I said. He began to relate a story about how the Santa was placed on top of the tree, facing the north-northwest, because that's where Santa flies from. You know: the North Pole, of course. On Christmas morning, the man would take the Santa down, symbolizing that Jolly Old St. Nick had come, deposited his presents and continued on his merry way.

But, the homeowner said, Santa was the only element of the completely tricked-out house he typically sets up for Christmas. He used to decorate the entire home with white lights; the only colorful things were Santa and Rudolph's red nose.

"I wasn't in spirit this year," he said.

"Why?" I asked. "The economy got you down?"

I was ignorant. His wife died around this time last year, and he wasn't in the mood to deck the home this season, after doing it throughout their 21 years of marriage. The man pointed to where his wife wrecked her car after suffering an aneurysm, right across the street next to the golf course.

But this time next year, the widower said, "It'll all be back."


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies
Day 15: A church cross at sunset
Day 16: Getting close to a ribbon with new lens

20 photos of Christmas, Day 16 | Getting close to a ribbon with new lens

My new lens allowed me to get within inches of this ribbon while maintaining focus. This shot was taken about 20 minutes before sunset today, with sunshine hitting this part of the ribbon directly.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


This edition serves as a welcome for my new 105mm Nikon macro lens, which allows for extreme close-up shots of subjects. In this case, it was a ribbon stuck to the top of an Audi as part of a promotion for a local dealership at The Avenue Viera, an outdoor shopping mall.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies
Day 15: A church cross at sunset

Another one with a shallower depth of field. The sun wasn't hitting this part quite as brightly.

20 photos of Christmas, Day 15 | A church cross at sunset

A bird flies by the cross atop a tower at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Suntree on Sunday evening, just after sunset.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


High clouds that built up late on an otherwise clear day made for a beautiful sunset Sunday in Brevard County. During a break from work, I set out to snap a photo, and the cross on St. Paul's Anglican Church in Suntree stuck out. While most of the posts in this series have been of a more secular nature, this edition is a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children
Day 14: The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies

20 photos of Christmas, Day 14 | The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies

A handler for the two reindeer that showed up at The Avenue Viera on Saturday shows a Planet Smoothie menu to one of the animals. I believe it chose the eggnog-hot chocolate smoothie.

A girl inspects a reindeer through the railing separating the critters from the rest of the sidewalk at the outdoor mall.

This was the one time that one of the reindeer popped its head through the railing, and I think I managed to get a pretty good shot.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Among other traditional ways to draw consumers to its outdoor shopping mall, The Avenue Viera hosted two reindeer under a tent outside one of its stores, Planet Smoothie. Not expecting to see Comet and his buddy - I'm not sure of the other's name - passersby stopped and, of course, wanted to touch. That wasn't permitted, however, as their handlers constantly reminded people of the sharp antlers that could cut them deep.

I simply thought it would be a good idea to get a few photos of people interacting with the animals, trying to sneak in a pat of their fur every now and then. One shopper thought the critters were caribou. Being from Maine, I immediately laughed at such a conjecture. Besides, caribou don't necessarily say "Christmas" like Santa's magical herd does.

After spending about ten minutes at the reindeer exhibit, I hit the streets again, braving the congested roadways to get to work.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children

A boy waits for something to happen after a reindeer decided to take a rest from circling in the pen.

The whole family.

20 photos of Christmas, Day 13 | The season's simplicity through children

Carried by her dad, a girl looks back and waves at the end of the Cocoa Beach parade Saturday.

This girl was pretty animated and excited to see Santa coming down the road on a firetruck, the parade's grand finale. I have other shots of her jumping around and whatnot, but this more staid pose stood out for some reason.

This little boy was focused on the piece of candy he had just plucked from the pavement of southbound State Road A1A.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


I'm again breaking the original purpose of this series, which was to post a single Christmas-themed photo each day. This edition, instead, includes three photos but a single theme: simplicity. Each photo, taken during the Christmas parade in Cocoa Beach last Saturday, features a child more prominently than the rest of the image. The cuteness of the holiday season, after all, is better conveyed through little children than through fat old men with white beards or through plastic Christmas trees.

Only one week to go!


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain

20 photos of Christmas, Day 12 | A tree and a fountain

This Christmas tree is held up by wires alongside Wickham Road in Viera. It's next to an annoying fountain that sends spray across the road, especially irksome when you're on a motorcycle and aren't expecting a random face full of water on a sunny day.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


I guess I'm making the rounds to all the community Christmas trees in Brevard County. This is the one in eastern Viera, a sprawling "community" of houses, condos, apartments and retail shopping complexes.

Appropriately, the tree is fake.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset

20 photos of Christmas, Day 11 | Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset

Cocoa Beach set up stands of three fake trees, decorated with lights, at all major entrances of the city.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


After I stopped to shoot surfers during the golden hour in Cocoa Beach, three fake trees caught my eye as I headed out of town. I pulled my Harley to the side of the Merritt Island Causeway, parked on the sidewalk and photographed one of them silhouetted by the setting sun.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally

20 photos of Christmas, Day 10 | Historic building a reminder of home, literally

Spanish moss hangs in front of the William H. Gleason House, which was all decked out for the season. There was a strange fog in Melbourne on Monday, when this was taken. Because it wasn't that thick, the fog only appears as a slight haze. But it makes this scene glow a bit more than it would on a clear night.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


New England homes, usually made of wood, tend to glow amid the snowbanks and drifts during the Christmas season. Up there, there's always a tree in the picture window and smoke billowing from the chimney. I miss that quaintness. In Florida, it's all about stucco and concrete block construction. And rain. There's no snow to be seen here. And there's no need for a wood stove.

The old houses in Melbourne's historic Eau Gallie neighborhood offer the closest resemblance to the ones up north. This particular one, the William H. Gleason House, dates to the late 1800s. It now houses the Old Pineapple Inn bed and breakfast on Pineapple Avenue, which parallels the Indian River. Its Queen Ann architectural style, two-story structure and Christmas lights, the glow from which was accentuated by fog, remind me of home.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids

20 photos of Christmas, Day 9 | Stars in the east during the Geminids

A meteor during the Geminids shower early Monday morning passes a bright star in the east, one that I will call the Star of Bethlehem, just in keeping with the season's spirit.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


The Geminids meteor shower peaked early this morning with a brilliant display over North America. For viewers in Central Florida, ambient light often creates problems, but the shooting stars were so bright that the cities' glow wasn't a hindrance. I'll write more about this occasion in a later post, but for now, this is why I'm using this photo for today's edition.

The Star of Bethlehem, as it is commonly known now, led the wise men to Jesus' manger after his birth. Astronomers and theologians have debated as to whether this "star in the east" was actually a living star, a supernova, a planet or some other celestial phenomenon. The Geminids radiate from the east, and I took many exposures of the eastern sky in an attempt to capture a meteor and a bright star in the same image to represent this aspect of the Bible's Christmas story.

The above image is one of several bright meteors I managed to capture during several 13-second exposures taken at a high ISO setting, hence the graininess. The brightest point of light in the photo is, indeed, a star in the east, though I couldn't say exactly which one. The actual meteor left a smoke trail that lasted less than a second but was visible to the naked eye nevertheless.

For hours Monday morning, I sat on the sand in Cocoa Beach, taking hundreds of photos of the night sky, which cleared magnificently after a freak period of clouds - the first of two rare weather events in the same day in Brevard County (more on that later). In the still night, I sat with my head tilted upward, my iPod pumping Christmas music into my ears. The meteors were separated only by seconds. When "O Holy Night" began to play, the evening was complete.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree

20 photos of Christmas, Day 8 | Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree

Seeing this tree decorated outside a Melbourne home gave me the idea that I don't have to actually chop down the shrub outside my apartment. I'll just decorate it and have a magnificent view through my living room window.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Parts of Melbourne's Eau Gallie neighborhood tend to look slightly old and rundown. Some areas look downright blighted. Nevertheless, residents still find their own ways to celebrate the season. In the western section of the district, I stumbled upon a tree in the front yard of a house that was decorated with lights and ornaments. So, today's edition is a close-up of an ornament, complete with the reflection of yours truly on the sidewalk.

I'm including this just for context.

Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus

20 photos of Christmas, Day 7 | Future Santa Claus

A boy in full Christmas garb watches the Cocoa Beach Christmas parade from the curb.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Christmas was easier to come by today at the parade in Cocoa Beach. Trucks, motorcycles, cars and people rolled through the downtown spreading good cheer and lots and lots of candy.

I took so many photos that it was difficult to choose just one. So I chose two. This boy seemed to scream Christmas a little more than some of the others. A future post will share the rest.

I broke the one-photo-only requirement by posting this one.

Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament

20 photos of Christmas, Day 6 | Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament

During this photo series, I plan to portray things that don't explicitly say "Christmas." This scene at Target in Melbourne spoke to me, though.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


To me, Christmas is what you make of it. That's especially true in Florida, which lacks some of the traditions I was raised with. One of those activities I miss is the adventure to find a Christmas tree somewhere in the Maine woods, an excursion usually embarked on after a large snowstorm in December. The snow served no purpose, just made things more interesting.

Traditional Christmas tree species - especially balsam fir - don't grow in the subtropical climes of Central Florida. I can't just go out and chop down a palm tree, though I've told friends that I planned to saw down a shrub in front of my apartment with my Swiss army knife. But I would have to further trim the ficus into the general shape of a Christmas tree.

At least that was the scheme until today, when I ran an errand at Target in Melbourne. Outside the store, the green of these Christmas tree-shaped shrubs and the trademark color red of Target, including a worker on a smoke break, reminded me of the holiday. But I didn't dare cut down one of the shrubs in broad daylight, so I'll have to return some day after closing time.

It's no fragrant balsam fir, but I will make the most of it. And it sure beats paying $50 for one from Wisconsin.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour

20 photos of Christmas, Day 5 | Golden lights during the golden hour

I again took advantage of bokeh for the lights, with the camera's focus on the sunlit clouds in the background.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Today, it rained, so there will be no same-day Christmas photo because I didn't feel like getting wet or shooting inside. So this edition comes from a few days ago when Melbourne experienced a rather pretty sunset. I took this shot of icicle lights in the downtown area on Monday. But it's not my intention for all 20 photos to be of lights, so that will change soon.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors

20 photos of Christmas, Day 4 | More than just seasonal colors

For this shot, I sandwich myself between two vehicles parked diagonally along the main drag in downtown Melbourne. I had to move when a diner exited a restaurant and wanted to leave.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


I'm more or less phoning it in with today's Christmas photo. It doesn't very well represent the season, though there are a few decorations in the scene.

This 16-second exposure was taken in Historic Downtown Melbourne on Monday, a rather slow night for the shopping and nightclub district. This is outside a rather new restaurant and bar called Matt's Casbah. It's ordinarily a colorful place, with multicolor lights pulsing and glowing in the outside dining area. The Christmas lights, purplish twilight sky and the vehicle headlights and taillights add a bit to it.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond

20 photos of Christmas, Day 3 | Lights' reflection on a retention pond

Yes, trespassing was required to get this photo.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Driving through a subdivision in Rockledge, just north of Melbourne, I spotted a house display's reflection on a retention pond. In this scene, I chose to focus on the train. This is a six-second exposure.

My intent with many of these photos is to portray a scene that both represents Florida and Christmas. And retention ponds scream Florida.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed

20 photos of Christmas, Day 2 | The city tree at warp speed

I took several exposures with the star cut off and better streak action, but I couldn't bring myself to publish those ones.

Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.

Today's edition, another abstract one, consists of one of the many exposures I took of Historic Downtown Melbourne's official Christmas tree. It was made with an 18-200mm lens mounted on a tripod. During an approximately 21-second exposure, I zoomed the lens from 18 to 200, creating the streak effect with all the points of light. The central focus, of course, is one of the ribbons on the tree. (Another note: This photo was published by my newspaper, FLORIDA TODAY. View the page here.)


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect