Glorious Christmas

Sunset Hills in Greensboro

When Ali Smith came home for the holidays in 1996, she and her parents, Jonathan and Anne Smith, made large, lighted Christmas balls to hang outside. They looked amazing, and soon others made them too. The lights began attracting visitors by the carload. Then the light bulb really went on. The neighborhood put up a sign asking for donations for the local food bank. On the first day, they collected 600 pounds of food and $700. Now it’s an annual holiday tradition. So far, they’ve passed along 2.8 million meals and nearly $400,000.

Every winter, neighbors deck themselves out for the Running of the Balls, a 5K race.