The past week, I’ve noticed something. As of Sunday morning, there were three homes on my morning route that were still festive, for lack of a better word. One house was on my block. Lining the eaves of the house was a simple strand of multicolored Christmas lights—one of the colors was a deep blue, one of my favorite holiday light colors. I think the owners left it on day and night, and I was just noticing it early morning when it was still twilight. It was quite pretty.
I happen to agree with a good many of the grinchy thoughts in Corey Taylor’s song “X-M@$,” but there is one line I just can’t get on board with. He says, “[T]hose colored lights are fucking infantile.” I don’t know that an infant would appreciate those colored lights the way I do, and I don’t find them childish at all. It’s the one thing about the holidays that I appreciate and have always liked–I suppose because the lights do create a childlike wonder in me that maybe Mr. Taylor is correct. 🙂
Oh. Except for those assholes who have the obnoxious dancing lights that strobe rhythmically to songs you can tune into on your radio if your car is in front of their house. That and greedy shoppers make me loathe the holidays…but that’s a blog post for some time in the future.
Back to my morning journey. The neighbors across the street, as I said before, had a simple strand. It was multicolored, but it wasn’t not blinking, nor was it overstated. It was simple yet beautiful. Then, several blocks away is a house that, as of Sunday, was covered in lights from roof to sidewalk, including the trees. Two blocks from there is a house that again just has lights along the eaves, but they have one plain strand (no colors) over the main part of the house and then colored (and blinking, as in “dripping”) icicle lights over the garage. My neighbor across the street and the roof-to-sidewalk people have taken their lights down, but the last folks, as of this morning, are still going strong.
It is the middle of January and those people still have their Christmas lights up.
Most people think that’s a bad thing, but you know what? I like it. Who says you can only have those lights on during a particular time of year? And if you’re not going to take them down, why not let them light up? Why not enjoy them? There’s something about colored lights, little beacons in the darkness, that light up my soul. Even when I’m feeling down, a string of colored lights can warm my heart. I can’t explain why; I just know it’s true. Even a lit candle can’t compare. And the fact that these folks are defiantly leaving theirs up and lit long past the time society deems they should makes me think, “More power to them.” It’s like a blinking middle finger. Makes me love it more.
Have a great day and revel in your little moments of rebellion. I know I will.
Lesson: Let your light shine even when people think it shouldn’t.
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