My friend, Mikinsie Morrison, said something that resonated with me deeply. She said, “I love to come home and have the tree lights be the only light in the room. I find it so soothing and comforting after a long day. I can pop in a movie and simply relax for the evening.“
That got me thinking about all the times during my life when Christmas lights have brought comfort. When I was a child, my great-aunt lived in the house I now call home. It overlooks the property my parents lived on. We would always decorate for Christmas early and leave it up until New Year’s.
One year, it was a foggy, dreary night. We had been out shopping and got home and turned on the Christmas lights. We had lights in the window facing up the hill where Letha and Hazel could see them from their living room window. The next day I vividly remember Letha telling us how happy they had been to see those lights come on because they didn’t feel so alone anymore.
Such a simple thing, yet it had such a deep impact. You never know how the simplest thing is affecting others.
My Granny, and later my aunt Ruth always decked out their house to the nines with Christmas lights. As I would drive by, I couldn’t help but always look towards the house because I knew it meant they were home and okay. What I wouldn’t give now, to be able to drive by and see the house decked out once again in its Christmas finest. Those lights brought no Christmas cheer, they brought me peace. Decorations are so much more than a seasonal item hung up. It’s memories, it’s comfort, it’s history.
My parents loved everything about Christmas. The last Christmas my Mom was alive, my daughter put up the tree for her. My daughter said Mom had the biggest smile and clapped her hands when the lights on the tree came on. To her, the lights represented hope. Joy. Precious time with her beloved family. I had never seen my Mother enjoy the holidays more. She burned those lights every chance she got. So much joy from a simple thing.
My wish for you this Christmas is that you find joy in the simple things.
Author note: Starting in January, this column will be called Musings from Memory Lane. The same type of content—only the name is changing. I hope you will still join me here for more trips down memory lane.
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