‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and along Vista Drive, not a light was flashing, chasing or dancing, not even to the Bee Gee’s disco anthem, “Stayin’ Alive.”

Or any other song, for that matter. For the bombastic lights display in Auburn, courtesy of the Loggins family, appears dead for 2008, after causing two years of holiday cheer, mayhem and choking traffic along their quiet cul-de-sac.

‘Tis a shame. The Loggins created a unique public attraction that harmonized the childlike wonderment of Christmas into perfect harmony with the amazing abilities and excesses of this technological age.

This was not your father’s Christmas display, not with its own Web site (auburnlights.com) and FM broadcast.

The core problem was location. Traffic and crowd control were a nightmare before Christmas for Auburn police and neighbors. Lines of cars would back up; pedestrians would wander among them. It was an unsafe situation.

But one with a ready solution: changing locations. People are coming to Auburn to see the lights. Perhaps Auburn could find a suitable environment to host them, without the logistical challenges along Vista Drive.

This would seem a perfect project for a Chamber of Commerce or downtown group: adopting the “Auburn lights” and utilizing the Loggins’ experience and expertise to create a stunning seasonal attraction.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of people streamed onto Vista Drive to see one house. A similar holiday display in downtown Auburn, perhaps festooning Festival Plaza, could become a strong draw and a community trademark.

We’ve even bandied about the thought of stringing the faade of Bates Mill No. 5 in Christmas lights and making them flash, chase and dance. Why not? It would give positive attention to the mill, which is otherwise dormant.

These are only ideas. The goal is capitalizing on the unique and cool thing the Loggins created, all on their own, in Auburn. Attention on their display may have gotten too large to have on Vista Drive, but not for elsewhere in the city.

Whether enough time exists to make this happen is a real question. There are only 24 days until Christmas.

But this is well worth investigating, if it could let the Loggins’ lights shine this holiday season.