What is the hoopla over McAdenville (neighbourhoods, live, car)

[SunnyKayak]

I grew up near Tanglewood and its awesome Christmas light display so it's hard for me to not judge other little small town Christmas lights when I just don't feel McAdenville lives up to the hype.
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How do you feel ?

[jlat]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

I grew up near Tanglewood and it awesome Christmas Light Display so it hard for me to not judge other little small town Christmas Lights when I just dont feel McAdenville lives up to the hype.

How do you feel ?

I think you have to look past just the light display. McAdenville is a poor little mill town that put up some lights and a crowd showed up. It’s amazing to see the lights and it holds a special spot to those of us that have been going there since we were little kids. It’s cool to see what has been added and how the displays change from year to year. I love going past the church where the nativity scene is or stopping by the tree decorated in honor of our troops. Sometimes we park down behind the Fire Dept and get out of the car and go over to the lake and feed the ducks under the reflection of the lights on the pond. My kids love going every year and hang out of the sun roof of my truck and wishing everyone a merry Christmas as we go by. You can’t help to get in the Christmas sprit. I’m sure that there are more spectacular displays in <insert your favorite town here>, and I am sure that the many transplant types will pooh on McAdenville, but for me and my family it is truly Christmas Town USA.

[Hoagie58]

Originally Posted by jlat

I think you have to look past just the light display. McAdenville is a poor little mill town that put up some lights and a crowd showed up. It’s amazing to see the lights and it holds a special spot to those of us that have been going there since we were little kids. It’s cool to see what has been added and how the displays change from year to year. I love going past the church where the nativity scene is or stopping by the tree decorated in honor of our troops. Sometimes we park down behind the Fire Dept and get out of the car and go over to the lake and feed the ducks under the reflection of the lights on the pond. My kids love going every year and hang out of the sun roof of my truck and wishing everyone a merry Christmas as we go by. You can’t help to get in the Christmas sprit. I’m sure that there are more spectacular displays in <insert your favorite town here>, and I am sure that the many transplant types will pooh on McAdenville, but for me and my family it is truly Christmas Town USA.

I'm a transplant, but from me you get a heart felt Amen!

[CouponJack]

Originally Posted by jlat

and I am sure that the many transplant types will pooh on McAdenville, .

Not really sure why you would feel that way, or say something like that which really starts trouble. A town that tries as hard as McAdenville should be commended IMO....

My wife and kids loved it last year esp when we had to turn off the headlights..

[SnowWhiteQueen]

Dude, McAdenville is cool! I've been going there since I was a kid! Don't diss McAdenville just because you grew up near Tanglewood. Nobody in CLT cares about Tanglewood anyway.

[CarolinaWoman]

Originally Posted by CouponJack

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Thank you, thank you, CouponJack ... and now back to the subject of the post ... another native checking in here ... McAdenville is an acquired taste ... we've grown up with mom and dad loading all the younguns in the car and heading over to see the lights ... thus when we married, we loaded up our younguns and headed to McAdenville.

I am sure there are better displays but to me it's just tradition ... now I just hate the traffic ... I hate I-85 ... as a child I don't recall traffic problems like it is now. When PTL in Fort Mill was in it's hayday with Jim & Tammy, they spared no expense and the decorations were awesome, a sight to see!

We have made the trip to McAdenville with friends from out of state and their reaction was the same ... what's so great about this! It just don't take much to make us happy.

Please don't do the grammar police on me ... that is kinda tacky.

[chicagocubs]

I thought McAdenville was nice. I also think that the thought behind it is cool. Now, if you want to be cynical, yes, I have known neighbourhoods to be similarily decorated and that did not require driving 30 minutes or waiting in traffic. But, at the end of the day, it is nice. Probably not the highlight of my year, but, something that I would take the kids to and like the other poster said, maybe feed the ducks at the pond or something. It really would be special for young kids, I think.

The idea behind it is really, really something. That is what makes McAdenville special, I think.

[Carolina Blue]

For everybody turned off about the traffic, just go early on a week night. You'll get in and out in no time. I normally try to get there around 6:30 or 7:00.

[NCyank]

We have been to McAdenville once and having not been familiar with it before we went, we were expecting something else. That's not to say we didn't like it but it wasn't what we were used to seeing. I thought it was pretty and rather relaxing to drive through as opposed to other light displays where there is something every 3 feet that moves, blinks, or otherwise captures your attention.

I'd go back again but I would also go to see a 'busier' display as well.

[Wiggin]

I have to say I'm with Sunny on not really getting all the hoopla surrounding McAdenville. But that is not meant as a put down to the town or display, just a personal opinion.

It seems that some have taken Sunny's comments a lot more negatively than I did. I took it that she was just using Tanglewood as a context of her experiences to ask what other people liked about McAdenville (to help her understand), not that she was saying that Tanglewood is great and McAdenville sucks. So I was a bit surprised to see so many get so defensive. I don't know if I'm right or wrong, just wanted to throw another perspective out there.