Christmas lights and decorations are seen at a house on Station Street in Lake Placid. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — When someone says, “Lights, camera, action,” they’re usually referring to actors on a movie set. But in Lake Placid in December, it’s more of a checklist to drive around the village and see the Christmas lights. It’s called the Holiday Light Extravaganza.

Lights? Check.

Camera? Check.

Christmas music? Check.

Driving route directions? Check.

Holiday lights at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Let’s roll!

For the second year in a row, Diana Friedlander — aka the “Lake Placid Girl” — took it upon herself to create a digital map of Lake Placid and suggest a few driving routes for families to see the Christmas lights.

“I started it last year because of COVID, and no one could really go out with people and enjoy,” Friedlander said. “I wanted to get something going where people could look forward to something, sit in a car, be safe with their closest family members and drive around and enjoy the holidays and play music together.”

On her “Lake Placid Girl – L.P.G.” Facebook page, she’s a concierge, offering local activity suggestions for residents and visitors. The Holiday Light Extravaganza is a natural extension of that service, her job working at the Engel & Volkers real estate agency, her upbringing and her family’s ongoing volunteer efforts in the community.

“I so love this town, and I love this community,” she said. “I grew up here, and as of late, there’s a lot of controversy for this or that, and we need to stick together. We need to be together, and we need positivity. So I want people in the community to really enjoy what we have.”

Holiday lights and decorations in Lake Placid (News photo — Andy Flynn)

What Lake Placid has is the holiday spirit, which is apparent when seeing the many Christmas lights and decorations along Main Street, Saranac Avenue and neighborhoods around the community.

Once again, Friedlander has taken phone calls from dozens of people with Christmas lights and decorations and created driving maps on Google Earth and Google Maps. Apps for both can be downloaded to a smartphone or a computer, and links to the maps in the driving directions PDF can be found on the Lake Placid Girl Facebook page and Lake Placid Community Forum Facebook group. (They are also provided below.)

The idea came from a trip to Key West, Florida, where she took a trolley tour to see holiday lights. And last year’s Holiday Light Extravaganza was so successful, “I figured, ‘Why not? Let’s do it again,” she said. “And it worked out because COVID’s still around, unfortunately.”

Not only is COVID-19 still around, the country continues to be more politically polarized than ever. There’s a lot of negativity in traditional and social media.

“I’m not the most positive person either 100% of the time, so this way it makes me feel better,” she said. “It’s a very selfish thing.”

And with inflation and increasing prices for everything, it’s becoming more challenging for families to make ends meet.

“It’s such a hard time for some people that I wanted it to be able to be enjoyed no matter what situation you’re in,” she said.

At the top of the driving directions page, Friedlander promises, “Lake Placid in Lights from Classic Christmas – to In Your Face – Outerspace!!”

She suggests the passenger help navigate with the driving list on a smartphone.

“Go slow, be safe and keep your eyes open for all the decorations.”

With three links on Google Maps for different sections of the village, the Holiday Light Extravaganza begins at the large municipal parking lot on Main Street across from the post office.

“Crank the holiday music and let the fun begin.”

The driving route can take a couple of hours, depending on road conditions, weather and how many photos people want to take.

Friedlander said there are more areas with Christmas lights than are on the map.

“Take time and get lost in it all!”

Friedlander suggests that holiday light seekers do a dry run in the day so they know where to go when it’s dark.

The Google Earth link is https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1hvAeQW_rEEhxdk78WUX1G9a_VuaiEVjS?usp=sharing.

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Driving directions

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MAP 1 link

– Start: Main Street parking Lot across from the post office

– Head up the Crowne Plaza hill to Hillcrest

– Left on Elm (Be careful if snowing; it’s steep.)

– Right on Grandview

– Right on Acorn

– Left on Hillcrest

– Left on Greenwood

– Right on Wesvalley

– Left on Saranac Avenue

– Left on Algonquin (bear right to stay on Algonquin)

– Left Ahmek Way circles back

– Right on Algonquin and back out to right on Saranac Avenue to Main Street

– Go through Main Street

– At third light, go right on Sentinel

– Right on Station

(Your Google map will end. You will need to hit the next link. When it says, “reached your destination,” just hit “continue.”)

MAP 2 link

– Left on Old Military

– Left on Newman

– Left on Summer

– Right on Balsam

– Left on Hickory

– Left on Hurley

– Right on Spruce

– Right on Cherry

– Right on Hurley

– Left on Hickory

– Left on Balsam

– Left on Newman

– Right on Church

– Left on Old Military

– Right on Old John Brown Road

– Left on John Brown Road

– Straight to Sentinel

(Your Google map will end. You will need to hit the next link. When it says, “reached your destination,” just hit “continue.”)

MAP 3 link

– Left at Mill Pond Drive (stay left on Mill Pond Drive)

– Right on McKinley

– Left on Colden

– Right on School

– Left on Main Street

– Right on Mirror Lake Drive (Drive around the lake. Go right up Beech Hill and around Wilderness Circle back to Mirror Lake Drive to the amazing Mirror Lake Inn.)