Catching the bright lights of a Melbourne Christmas in Mazda’s flagship SUV, the CX-90 Azami.

Words Peter Fadeyev / Images Nathan Jacobs

You know the movie scene. Clark Griswold, National Lampoons’ well-meaning goof-ball dad, has dressed his family home for some extra festive cheer at Christmas. Santa and his reindeer have just landed near the porch. Nativity scenes sit amongst the snow in the front yard. And every surface of his family’s two-storey home is draped in miles of fairy light cabling.

But there’s a problem: none of the thousands of lights will switch on.

He's checked every cable. Every connection. Every bulb.

Still nothing.

The climax arrives when Clark’s ever-patient wife Ellen (played by Beverly D’Angelo) rescues the man she calls ‘Sparky’ by flicking the correct household switch at just the right time.

It’s a moment many movie-goers still remember. My sister and I certainly do. We laughed endlessly the first time we saw it as teenagers in 1990. Like many others, we watched it again and again, well into our grown-up years. And if I’m honest, it still gets a run on our TV at least once every December.

‘Sparky’ sparks a movement

Little did the creators of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation know they would spark a global tradition when Chevy Chase’s lovable movie character connects those two electrical cables, finally igniting all 25,000 of those twinkling lights adorning his house, creating a blinding solar flare in his quiet residential street.

Today, from Chicago to Cheltenham, December is the month households everywhere break out kilometres of fairy lights and endless festive displays to dress their family homes.

It’s a wonderful tradition. Houses draped in rainbows of luminous colour. Festive displays. Weeks of joyous planning and work on full display for passers-by to enjoy.

In fact, it’s an annual tradition that’s sparked its own annual tradition of visiting these brightly-lit suburban streets.

In search of light

As well as watching Christmas Vacation every December, jumping in the car and taking a tour of Melbourne’s festive houselights has become a second ritual in our home.

And the Mazda CX-90 is perfect for this annual family event.

Kids in. Camera ready. Let’s go.

First stop is Malvern East. Fountaine Avenue is like a shower of welding sparks standing still in mid-flight. The roadway’s Oak-tree canopy adds an extra surface for these thousands of embers to bounce from. It’s like driving through a Christmas tree.

The kids’ excitement is turned up to 11. Everywhere they look a new discovery elicits a silent Wow. The lights and colours reflect in their glassy eyes, wide with the need to take it all in.

“Look at that!” becomes the growing chorus from the back seat. Surrounding us is an endless series of electric rainbows. Parents point at vibrant details. Kids jump and laugh. Dogs on leads appear to be covered in moving LUME projections. 

We stop to walk. Before getting out, the kids climb into the third-row seats for a different view. They poke their faces behind the headrests for a peak out the rear window. With the hands-free tailgate open it’s as if they have their own drive-in theatre.  They’re growing up quickly but the CX-90’s cargo space seems to shrink them back to the size of toddlers.

Residents are out chatting to the enthralled visitors. Brad and Laura’s stunning vintage home glows under its cloak of fairy lights. The couple talk about Fountaine Avenue’s annual Christmas activities, which include a neighbourhood party. “It’s always lovely to see the street so bright with night-time colours and kids,” Laura says.

Nearby Malvern Road has more bright beacons, with plenty of cars and pedestrians enjoying the festive shows.

It's on to Sandringham. The CX-90’s smooth 3.3-litre e-Skyactiv-G engine feels effortless. The kids chatter in the hushed cabin. Even though we’re staying within metropolitan Melbourne, it’s already a memorable family road trip.

Number 63 Grange Road is alive with colour. Its famous annual light show is in full swing. The kids gasp as we slowly approach.

People have already gathered three-deep around the front of the house. More visitors are walking towards our destination. There are even safety barricades for the crowds.

The elves on top of the front fence’s brick columns welcome everyone. An enormous LED light screen covers the double garage’s doors and broadcasts an array of bright colours and messages. Kids point and ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at the waves of ever-changing colours sweeping across the front yard. Las Vegas couldn’t create a dazzling show like this.

A bright reminder

These lights are powerful, not because of their collective wattage but for what they create and evoke.

For parents, this kaleidoscopic cruise is a reminder of the wonder of Christmas and a key to revisit vivid childhood memories. They seem so long ago. But they return in a flash with every new glow and every ‘Wow!’ from the back seats.

For kids, it signals these final few weeks of the year will soon bring a new set of December 25 memories, and new pages of magic to turn with affectionate feelings in years to come.

Quietly driving these illuminated streets in the CX-90 is like driving through a catalogue of memorable Decembers. It makes the CX-90 both a time capsule and a time machine, capturing and storing new memories while reliving old ones, just like Clark Griswold did so memorably all those years ago.