Fun and Holiday Lights at Jingle Bell Jog

Luminaries lined the lawn of one house along Peterson Drive, while another nearby house decked its eaves with holiday lights and placed a Chinese dragon on the lawn.  Still other houses placed reindeer, Santa Claus, or figures of cartoon characters dressed fore the holidays on lawns, lined doors with lights, or threaded them through bushes.

During the Hillsborough YMCA's first Jingle Bell Jog Wednesday night in about a decade, not stopping to gaze at the decorations may have been harder than the running.

The jog went through the neighborhood around the YMCA's East Mountain Road building to see the lights on nearby houses. The hope is to make it an annual tradition, modeled on an event that began years ago, Hillsborough YMCA Fitness Coordinator Laura Russo said.

About 10 years ago, when Russo lived in the neighborhood near the YMCA. As instructor of the YMCA's boot camp class, she would occasionally host boot camp parties at her house after the exercise class.

One year, the class members went caroling around the neighborhood.

"So we stopped at people's houses, caroled, finished up, got to my house and pot lucked (dinner)," Russo said.

While some reactions included shock at the impromptu group of singers on the doorstep—the YMCA did not advertise the event—many of the neighbors enjoyed the carolers.

"We had such a good time that we're starting it up again," Russo said. "I actually had no idea how many people were going to turn out."

The Jingle Bell Jog drew about 10 people from the YMCA and surrounding neighborhood, including YMCA members and instructors.

Decorating has always been a tradition in the neighborhood near the YMCA, with residents lining the eaves of their houses with lights, placing lighted figures on the lawns and decorating bushes and trees on the front lawns.

"There are a lot of children here, so it gets the holiday spirit going," Russo said.

The runners picked their own paces for the about two-and-a-half mile run, allowing faster and slower runners to enjoy the lights. In addition, Russo outlined a walking course for those who preferred a more leisurely pace.

Most of the 10 people attending the event came for the fun, camaraderie and to see the light displays on neighborhood houses.

"I wanted to support the program and I'm an avid runner as well," Kelly Taylor, an instructor at the YMCA, said.  "And I wanted to get together with the members."

"It was more fun and healthier than driving through them," Amanda Oldenburg, another YMCA instructor, said. "It's a good way to see the lights and get in the spirit.