Let’s face it – it’s wicked cold outside. Way colder than normal, and not just in the Black Hills. Everyone in the country seems to be chillier than average, as the poor folks at Soldier Field found out last night firsthand during the Bears-Packers game. The ESPN camera crew would pan over the crowd and reveal tight masses of people huddling for warmth and puffing out quick clouds of steam. It reminded me a bit of machinery – or a giant cigar parlor.

It’s extra depressing that it’s so cold, since there are a lot of excuses to be out and about this year. Snowmobiling, skiing, making snowmen, making snow angels, burying your loved ones in the snow… not to mention shopping and entertaining all your visiting friends and relatives. Usually that entertaining has something to do with seeing holiday light displays, which tend to get pretty competitive in some neighborhoods.

If you’d like to get a sample of some pretty impressive Black Hills holiday lights without leaving the toasty warm comfort of your chair, the Rapid City Journal has put together an online collection of this year’s top Christmas displays. It’s a little clunky – the photos are low-resolution, for starters, and it opens up a new browser tab for each video you want to watch – but it gets the job done.

The videos are the most entertaining. Check out Joe Lanoue’s home, where he’s got a river of lights cascading down the hill in his front yard.