Extra Light

When life seems dreary, extra lighting helps. On an overcast day, we turn on extra lights in the house, and light the fireplace. During a tedious year, like this one has been, colorful Christmas lights have the potential to lift spirits.

When I was a little girl, it was great fun to climb into the car just to look at the Christmas lights as Dad toured the town. Back then, lights were vibrant blue or brilliant red, or multicolored, twinkling strings that vied for our attention. The best displays were those that covered the eaves and every tree in someone's snowy yard, or even a whole neighborhood. Some yards boasted spotlighted, wooden cutouts of Santa and his sleigh, or intricately painted nativity scenes, but there was no front yard animation then, no accompanying music, and no oversized, blow-up figures. 

This year, the Christmas lights in my neighborhood have been amazing! In their efforts to counteract the dullness of our current Covid season, many of my neighbors put up their outdoor lights in early November, and more have been adding lights ever since. I am glad to see that the long-lived, white light trend is fading at last, giving way to dazzling blue and sparkling, rainbow-hued lights once again. 

I don't always put up our Christmas tree and decorate the house right after Thanksgiving, but, this year, we cleared away the fall decor and finished all of our indoor Christmas decorating on Friday, long before the Thanksgiving leftovers were gone. As we put up our tree, I was disappointed to find that more than half of the integrated white lights, those that should illuminate the center section of the tree, had stopped working. No amount of fiddling could fix the problem, so I searched through our old strings of lights, hoping to find some working, white lights to fill in the gap. All I could find was one solitary string of multi-colored lights, so I decided, rather reluctantly, to use those this year. After I intertwined them through the tree, I was so pleased with the result that I dashed out to Hobby Lobby to buy some more.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

It's been years since our Christmas tree's lights were so colorful, but this is a time for some added cheerfulness. 

I decided to add a Christmas tree to our new basement media room, so, while I was at Hobby Lobby anyway, I bought a slim, six-foot tree with white lights. That's about all they had left, but it will do. When the grandkids were here on Tuesday, they worked together to make an old-fashioned, 12-foot-long, paper chain to adorn the new tree. They don't know it yet, but next Tuesday, they will make some ornaments.

 

Jesus (said), “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 

The lights of Christmas are here to remind us of one thing: Jesus came to be the light of the world. I'll say it again: Jesus came to be the light of the world! He is with us always, as he promised, but it is often easier for us to recognise how much we need him when times are tough. Whether we are sick or over-worked, or grieving the loss of a loved one due to Covid or something else, or even if we are simply sick and tired of masks and social distancing, Jesus is here, giving us light when life seems too dark, too hard, too dreary.

Like a cat is drawn to the light of a decorated tree, Jesus draws each of us to himself. He is always ready to ease our worry, and provide the light we need to navigate our lives in this troublesome world.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30