EDITORIAL

Shine your lights

Posted 1/21/21

I know, Christmas is over and it's time to put away the decorations and cast out the tree. I've always had difficulty packing up Christmas. The Santas, the reindeer and inflatable snowmen wear thin, but the lights and the tree have lasting power. The

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EDITORIAL

Shine your lights

Posted

I know, Christmas is over and it’s time to put away the decorations and cast out the tree.

I’ve always had difficulty packing up Christmas. The Santas, the reindeer and inflatable snowmen wear thin, but the lights and the tree have lasting power. The tree stays with us until the needles are so brittle that they fall off when Ollie wags his tail. Then the tree takes on a new life as a refuse for birds visiting the feeder. Although naked of needles, it makes it to spring when yard waste collections resume.

The few strands of lights that decorate the front porch stay up year round. They shine cheerfully long after Christmas and if Carol feels like giving us a smile – or prompting a “aren’t you rushing the season?” – she’ll plug them in on a hot summer’s night.

Then there are the solar powered yard lights that were novelties when they first appeared. The Sharper Image and high-priced outlets were the first to carry them. How practical. Just push them in the ground, let the sun do its work, and bingo – with nightfall, a pool of light appears, perfect guides to a walkway or trim to a garden. It wasn’t too long before manufacturers in China stepped up to meet the demand and lights under $2 could be found on the shelves of Job Lot. They became disposable. As their batteries weakened and finally gave up the ability to hold a charge, they were replaced or simply left standing as burned out torches. We have a collection.

Then came the tulips, a solar powered bouquet that could light up the night garden. There was no stopping Carol. She ordered them. Indeed, they looked life-like, but we questioned how long their thin petals would stand up to the wind and rain. The tulips never went into the garden, but instead graced a vase next to a window. It now comes on once we shut off the overhead light.

But I’m straying from Christmas.

On Sunday we strung lights.

I know in this time of a pandemic we can all use some cheer. It’s one thing to leave the lights on, but to be putting up new ones really is pushing the season. These are no ordinary lights. They are solar powered.

My son, Ted, found them online. He decorated a couple of trees in his yard. However, Ted and Erica don’t blur seasons. Once the New Year arrives, the decorations come down and the tree is banished from its revered living room corner. The solar-powered outside lights couldn’t stay although they could have been shut off. Better yet, Ted knew we couldn’t resist them. It was a perfect post-Christmas gift. We confess to feeling ridiculous stringing lights on the scraggly rosebush in the front yard, but if you’re going to flaunt Christmas spirit there is no better location.

The lights went up as the sun was setting. We didn’t expect they would have enough of a charge to light up. How wrong.

There, in its glory, the rosebush was going though a programmed series of blinking, going dark and then an animated dance of random twinkling. It was a bit too ostentatious.

“It’s fun. I love it,” Carol said.

And she’s right – if you’re going to bring some spirit to these dreary days, go for it.

This Side Up, John Howell

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