Lights of the season…

 

Help alleviate the dark and gray. I am sure that when the Celts first chose to celebrate at this time of the year it was due to the necessity to lift spirits by inventing something, anything, to lighten up, literally, their lives. The Christmas tree with lit candles was adopted by the English in the Victorian Era, coming from the Prince’s German origins. This custom, in turn,  was borrowed from pagan yule rituals that celebrate the return of the light of the sun as the days grow longer after winter solstice.

And they do indeed help: I smile at every Christmas Tree, every candelabra decoration, every string of lights around a chalet.

It’s the one time of the year where we don’t speak too much about the “waste” of electrical lights, but then we also are using more eco-friendly light bulbs.

Let your lives be lightened.

 

 

Christmas Lights? Or…

Winter lights?

This year whilst I was enjoying my River Cruise along the Danube, one of my friends bought and installed lights on the top of the tree next to the garage.

What a joy they were to see as I came home – a reminder of Christmas.

We entered January and still could think back to Christmas – at least through the Epiphany or Three Kings day Jan.6^th.  I left them as it was still mostly dark and dreary and even on the sunny days night came all too quickly and the sun didn’t get up early either.

Then I broke my arm and taking them down became a moot question. At the end of January I did give it some thought – and started a discussion with friends instead: are they Christmas lights or simply lights making winter prettier? 

The consensus was about half-half with half considering them “Christmas” lights (although not colored) and thus to come down by Epiphany and the other half considering them simply a means to brighten winter’s gloom and subject to an open-ended removal.

I decided that I could simply be considered eccentric and am leaving them up until I feel like taking them down – perhaps the first day that the sun is up before 7 a.m.

On the other hand, I may tire of them and do it soon. Who cares? One thing is sure: next year I am getting more and doing at least half of the tree!