Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness

w: Johnathon E. Briggs

  • @Forty Blog
  • Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Work With Me

    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness

    — December 30, 2019 —

    Illumination: Tree Lights
    DAD APPROVAL RATING:   (out of four)
    Dates: Runs through Sunday, Jan. 5.
    Info: www.mortonarb.org/illumination-event/2019
    In the darkness of night, a cluster of trees bathed in blue light illuminated the open roadway where my Dear Daughter, clad in a purple hooded coat, ran with wild abandon through the winter air. She darted this way and that, appearing to hop from one word to the next of the messages spelled out on the road by light projections in big yellow letters. It was as if Mother Nature could text:

    BREATHE deeply

    LISTEN TO the wind.

    TAKE JOY in nature

    TREES NEED people

    PEOPLE NEED trees

    BE A TREE champion

    This “yellow brick road” moment, as I’ve dubbed it, was reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and one of the many surprising and imaginative installations we experienced during our visit last week to the seventh annual “Illumination: Tree Lights” at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

    Attending “Illumination” has become a holiday tradition for our family and, this year, we invited our friends (Heather, Fernando and their two kids) to share in the experience. (That’s one benefit to being a card-carrying member of the Arboretum – discounted ticket prices you can share with others.)

    I’m a California native accustomed to winter weather that doesn’t require down fabric, so it takes something spectacular to get me to walk a one-mile path through acres of forestry—at night, in December.

    But “Illumination” is truly worth the down-bundled stroll. I recently read in the Daily Herald that roughly 4,000 lighting devices and five miles of cable were used to transform a swath of the Arboretum into this immersive holiday lights display. This ain’t your grandma’s light show.

    Illumination is truly worth the down-bundled stroll. This ain’t your grandma’s light show.

    Captivating. That’s the word that came to mind as our party of seven meandered along with thousands of others through the collection of displays over the course of 90 minutes. Here are five memorable highlights (click on the gallery below for photos):

    1. After passing under a banner that read “Your Journey Starts Here,” we passed Meadow Lake which was outfitted with scores of floating lights that appeared to dance in unison on top of the water. We later learned the lights were equipped with sensors that change direction and color based on the speed and direction of (guess what?)—the wind. #Genius.
    2. At “Woodland Wonder” situated in a grove of sycamore trees, we were dazzled by a web of laser lights and perhaps the last thing you’d expect to see perched in a tree: disco mirror balls.
    3. We were mesmerized by “Crown of Light” where intricate pyramid-tree sculptures designed by HYBYCOZO (Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone) glowed from within as they cycled through the colors of the four seasons.
    4. At “Tree Fascination” we stood transfixed as digital projections flooded a grove of pine trees with geometric shapes. “I just have no idea how they get all those effects on the trees,” my Dear Wife (DW) said as she stared at the display. As it turns out, the projections are raw data from the Arboretum’s Center for Tree Science translated into light.
    5. Our seasonal favorite is “Symphony Woods” where light projections choreographed to “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker, among other selections, animate a small wood.
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness
    • Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum Spark Togetherness

     

    For as innovative “Illumination” may be, it is also quaintly traditional. DW and I stopped at a concession stand along the way to get hot chocolate and a do-it-yourself s’mores kit. She had never experienced the gooey pleasure of the fireside treat so we pulled up a bench around one of the crackling fire pits on the path so she could roast her first s’mores. My Dear Daughter (DD) eagerly joined in, finding a stick and placing two marshmallows over the pit flames.

    An Arboretum staffer noticed our fire had more growl than roar and kindly placed another log in the pit to keep the seasonal merriment on simmer. The fire pits are DD’s favorite part of “Illumination” and she always makes a fuss when it’s time to say goodbye to the fire pit. I don’t blame her. After all, who would want to get up from a warm, cozy fire to return to walking in the cold? (Thankfully, like so many families we saw that evening, we took our newly-assembled Radio Flyer wagon to pull her along whenever she grew weary of walking).

    The only con to our evening was the excessive darkness on stretches of the path. The pitch blackness is the perfect backdrop for the dramatic displays, but caused much anxiety for parents whose children (like our DD) tended to run ahead of the crowds. Were it not for the light-up Christmas tree wand that blinked in DD’s hand whenever she darted off in the distance my wife and I would have likely lost track of her.

    To me the true beauty of “Illumination” is not just the unique way it fills the air with holiday magic, but how it creates moments of togetherness—moments for friends and family, moments to connect with nature, moments of collective amazement.

    Towing my five-year-old daughter in her wagon on the walk back to the car through a landscape of pine trees is a memory just as beautiful as any installation we saw that night. All it took to make was the presence of mind to be present. Isn’t that the best holiday gift?

    “Illumination” runs through Jan. 5 so as you step into the New Year, plan to take an evening stroll outdoors to BREATHE deeply, LISTEN TO the wind, TAKE JOY in nature.

    Father on,

    Disclosure: The Morton Arboretum didn’t request this review, but my family has such a great time at this yearly event I decided to write one. Thoughts, photos, and videos are my own, except where noted.

    994 words

    12.31.19

    Johnathon E. BriggsHusband • Father • Storyteller • #BlackDadMagic • ΑΦΑ

    Lifestyle, Out & About, Reviews Tags: , ,

    Leave a Reply

    Comments are closed.

    Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best Self

    Resistant Eater Makes Meals a Challenge

    To Tree or Not to Tree? That Is the Question

    View All Posts

    Don't miss a post! Subscribe to Fatherhood@Forty via email.

    ↑

    © Legend - A Handcrafted Misfit Theme

    Copyright © 2023 — Blank Canvas Studio, LLC | No use without permission

    About

    Few may know this, but twice as many dads of newborns today are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Six weeks before my 40th birthday, I became a first-time father, hence the title of this blog.

    This life-changing moment made me think about my own dad, who became a father at 43. As my parenthood journey unfolded, I noticed that most of my friends had become parents earlier in life yet, here I was, changing diapers and battling sleep deprivation at (nearly) 40. I told my wife, “Parenting is definitely a young man’s game.” But is it really?

    Where most of my friends were preparing for their children’s middle and high school graduations, I was mastering the art of the swaddle, perfecting the one-hand baby wipe, and learning to decipher my daughter’s gurgles and whimpers. It occurred to me that I had so much more to offer my daughter at the sure-footed age of 40 than I did at, say, 28, when I was still coming into my own.

    Fatherhood@Forty: Memoirs of a Gen X Suburban Dad™ is a creative outlet to share my experiences and connect with other (relatively) late-in-life dads.

    Here are a few factoids about me, Johnathon Briggs, the editor behind this blog:

    • I’m a former journalist (Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune).
    • I love exploring Chicago and the Midwest with my family.
    • I remain on a constant quest to stay fit.
    • I support charities that fight HIV, uplift families affected by incarceration, and ensure African American boys graduate from college.
    • I’m a comic book geek (mostly Marvel, but a bit of DC and Image Comics).
    • I’m a child of the ‘80s, so please expect occasional references to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

    As a reporter for daily newspapers, I had the opportunity to interview fascinating people and to test out great products and brands for my readers. I hope to do the same for you as I blog about the moments that make up this adventure called fatherhood.

    Feel free to tweet (@fatherhoodforty) or email ([email protected]) me if you’d like to collaborate or have ideas for a blog post.

    Father on,

    P.S. Check out The Art of Conversation podcast interview I did with Art Eddy from Life of Dad.

     

    Disclaimer: Fatherhood@Forty may contain affiliate marketing links, which may result in commission on sales of products or services I write about. My editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

    Tags

    In memoriam: Tracy Airrion Pruitt

    Pierced Ears Latest Sign Daughter Forging Own Life Path

    Take a Moment for Yourself to be Your Best Self

    Swim Lessons Teach Daughter, Dad to Navigate ‘Big Blue World’

    Honoring My Father’s Wishes for a Beautiful Beginning

    Is AI-Generated Art Biased Against Fathers of Color?

    Resistant Eater Makes Meals a Challenge

    Daughter’s Triumph Overshadows Neighbor’s Nasty-Gram

    On Hiatus: Pursuing a New Dream in 2022

    Vitiligo After COVID-19 Vaccination: Is My Daughter an Early Case?

    View More

    About

    Few may know this, but twice as many dads of newborns today are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Six weeks before my 40th birthday, I became a first-time father, hence the title of this blog.

    This life-changing moment made me think about my own dad, who became a father at 43. As my parenthood journey unfolded, I noticed that most of my friends had become parents earlier in life yet, here I was, changing diapers and battling sleep deprivation at (nearly) 40. I told my wife, “Parenting is definitely a young man’s game.” But is it really?

    Where most of my friends were preparing for their children’s middle and high school graduations, I was mastering the art of the swaddle, perfecting the one-hand baby wipe, and learning to decipher my daughter’s gurgles and whimpers. It occurred to me that I had so much more to offer my daughter at the sure-footed age of 40 than I did at, say, 28, when I was still coming into my own.

    Fatherhood@Forty: Memoirs of a Gen X Suburban Dad™ is a creative outlet to share my experiences and connect with other (relatively) late-in-life dads.

    Here are a few factoids about me, Johnathon Briggs, the editor behind this blog:

    • I’m a former journalist (Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune).
    • I love exploring Chicago and the Midwest with my family.
    • I remain on a constant quest to stay fit.
    • I support charities that fight HIV, uplift families affected by incarceration, and ensure African American boys graduate from college.
    • I’m a comic book geek (mostly Marvel, but a bit of DC and Image Comics).
    • I’m a child of the ‘80s, so please expect occasional references to the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

    As a reporter for daily newspapers, I had the opportunity to interview fascinating people and to test out great products and brands for my readers. I hope to do the same for you as I blog about the moments that make up this adventure called fatherhood.

    Feel free to tweet (@fatherhoodforty) or email ([email protected]) me if you’d like to collaborate or have ideas for a blog post.

    Father on,

    P.S. Check out The Art of Conversation podcast interview I did with Art Eddy from Life of Dad.

     

    Disclaimer: Fatherhood@Forty may contain affiliate marketing links, which may result in commission on sales of products or services I write about. My editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
    Iris Awards Nominees 2021
    Copyright © 2017-2023 Blank Canvas Studio, LLC | No use without permission