Luminaries light the way for neighborhood fellowship - and Santa - in Apollo Beach
APOLLO BEACH, Fla. - A neighborhood in Apollo Beach is lighting the way for Santa this Christmas Eve.
Every year, neighbors on Bunker View Drive fill 1,500 white paper bags with sand and light a candle inside. Lining the streets, the luminaries create something of a yellow brick road.
"It lights up this street, so Santa knows where to go," said Paul Ryan, who organizes it every year.
The tradition started 15 years ago with just a few dozen luminaries. But it's not just for Santa. The luminaries are beacons for neighbors to venture outside.
Terry Darga hosts a driveway potluck every year, who says the lights have become an antidote for a world obsessed with TVs, cell phones and text messages.
Florence Yegoda moved to the neighborhood this year.
"People don't get outside enough," she said. "I find that this neighborhood is quite different."
The luminaries have lit the way for her.
"This kind of sparks conversation days forward, you will have met other people. Even tonight, I have met certain neighbors I haven't met before," she said.
Ryan says his goal is to give the community something to see, and something to share.