Phoning xmas in

A while back I posted a pic of our insipid little string of xmas lights. The ones we turn on for the season (and sometimes we turn ’em on in like July, just for grins). We’ve never been the kind of people that wrap their entire house with blinking, flashing lights and play xmas music at top volume to boot but there have been years when we’ve had more than this stupid little string.

Pnet across the street usually has a tasteful light display but has been suspiciously dark this season. Until this afternoon. LPnet was out draping his bushes with beautiful LED lights. Red. Green. White. Multi. Actually, an hour or so later, he’s still at work. It’s been pitch black almost since he began. I guess his prodject is providing enough light.

I am kind of a grinch about xmas these days. People want to buy me STUFF. I don’t NEED stuff! I may have managed to nip that issue in the bud this morning. Time will tell… I do like lights. Oh, I don’t mean wrapping my whole house in light. Faaaar in the faaaarplace maybe and a few fairy lights elsewhere.

I am not religious and we celebrate xmas in a secular way. If I have it right, a lot of “Christian” xmas customs originated somewhere other than a mythical stable in Bethlehem. I went to Sunday School when I was a kid but I’m convinced that was mainly because we lived in the same small northern town as my grandparents, who were pillars of society and supported the church. My parents were NOT religious but they also became pillars of society. All of those folks became successful under their own steam but supporting the church probably did facilitate it.

We attended the Central United Methodist church aka mainstream protestant. It wasn’t a bad place except for some long-winded ministers and one goofy straight-laced Sunday schoolmarm. Still, with my dad’s blessing, I stopped going to church/Sunday School when I was 16 and haven’t looked back. I think I was prepared to use that silly 1970s argument that communing with nature was the same as going to church. I needn’t have. My dad had formed his own ideas well before I was born. We didn’t even talk about it. He just said okay. He may have even been relieved that I hadn’t succumbed to religion but he didn’t say so.

At some point in my life, I figured out that light is probably associated with holidays that happen near the winter solstice because the days are short and often dark. At least they are dark in the Great Lake State, although I don’t think we had a cloud in the sky all day today.

So, I do want some xmas lights.

One Response to “Phoning xmas in”

  1. Margaret Says:

    We are scaling down Xmas heavily–few decorations and no gifts. (only for Grandson and money for the kids/tires for Alison) It is much less stressful.