The lights of the season
I climbed up the stairs to the attic and in a way it did reflect the season, as all throughout there was a covering of white. It was insulation instead of snow but it did put thing in mind, as I crawled around in the space finding the boxes with Christmas decorations.
I would hand them down one by one to my mother or dad in alternating fashion as we prepared to begin the annual tradition of making the homestead more festive.
The boxes would pile up in the living room as each one awaited emptying.
We had foregone real trees for the an artificial years before. I was tasked for placing each branch in its appropriate hole in the trunk and shaping it.
Before long it would be ready for ornaments, lights, icicles, and eventually the star on top.
The process went fairly fast considering it all had to come out of boxes and placed with care until it glistened and gleamed with the shine of the season.
After the tree, then came all the special additions around the house. Each table got a Christmas doily, a Christmas candle, and maybe some hand made decoration to draw the eye.
The cards would get their very own clothes line that stretched across the wall with each displayed to add to the season.
We didn’t have a fireplace, although for a few seasons, we had a brick lined box with and electric light within its hearth which would add a glow to the living room.
When the inside was just as mother wanted it, my father and I were dispatched to the exterior attraction.
Which meant all the front bushes would each have their own colored lights some flashing and some solid. A wreath of greenery with red ribbon would be added to the front door.
One of my favorite pieces that is now long lost to time was a large lighted face of Santa Claus which was always placed last hanging on a trellis of holly by our door.
Christmas in my mind’s eye is always more colorful, more vibrant and ever so more festive than each one that seems to pass these days.
Perhaps, I recall things much better than they were or I don’t recognize the beauty around me at present as much.
Maybe the absence of many who brought life so much joy dims the present over the past.
It makes a challenge in my heart that I must strive to be more mindful of those that are with us who can bring life to each and every moment of the holidays.
Use the coming season to uplift and enrich your heart by bringing joy to all God sends your way!
