'Genuine Happiness': Brookfield Neighborhood Gets Lit For Christmas

BROOKFIELD, CT — It's the week before Christmas, and all through the 'hood, the house lights are hung to excess, as they should. But that hasn't always been the case.

Although the tradition of tricking out your tannenbaum dates from 16th Century Germany when the hausfraus hung candles on the branches (editor's note: don't try that today), the custom of draping them around the drainpipes came much later.

Christmas Designers, the mega-site for light meisters, says the practice took off circa 1966, with General Electric's creation of "smaller, cheaper, and more outdoor-friendly" Merry Midget lights. The lights have only gotten smaller and cheaper every year since.

This year, Igor Drugov and his family at 14 Hollow Drive are pushing the needle by adding lasers to the mix, which have been a game changer.

"You can change them basically daily, shine different pictures on the house," Drugov told Patch.

That's a lot more flexibility than he had at his previous residence.

His current neighborhood was brand new when Drugov and his wife and two children moved in about two-and-a-half years ago from a one-bedroom apartment a quarter mile from the Google campus in Mountain View, CA.

Best of all, Drugov's neighbors in the new development are just as on board with decking their eaves and trees with LEDs as he is.

"I come home from work tired, and I turn into our neighborhood, and I see the lights, and I'm refreshed again. It just makes me happy."

The lasers may have made some final touches a little easier to swing, but it still took Drugov and his family two days to launch. Nevertheless, it could take three times as long, and there's no question he would be up on his ladder in the cold each December.

"The best memories I have are about Christmas, decorating the trees, putting up ornaments," Drugov said. "It's genuine happiness."