Christmas Lights

     “It’s a gigantic Christmas present to everyone-from me”, says Mike Babick of Prairie Village, Kansas when he was interviewed by Kevin Murphy for Yahoo News.  However, not everyone appreciates his more than a thousand Christmas figures that take a month to set up in his yard.   Some of his neighbors say that his Christmas decorations have become too popular, and that the 250, 000 people every year who drive up and down the street, block driveways, walk across the lawns, and some observers even go to the bathroom on the lawns; all of this is disrespectful and bothersome!  Do you like to decorate for the Christmas season, even though it can be expensive, hazardous, and controversial?  To me, there is nothing more magical and calm about Christmas lights; the lights give me, and many others, a sense of peace and happiness.

     Every year more than 400 million people celebrate Christmas around the world.  The celebration on the 25^th starts with Christmas Eve, Dec. 24^th, but it seems like people are preparing for Christmas earlier and earlier every year.  I think I went into a store this year, right after Halloween, and I saw Christmas decorations for sale.  I think we should at least get through one holiday like Thanksgiving before moving onto the next.  On the flip side, once people have the Christmas decorations up, some don’t take them down until way into January.  There is a couple in Baltimore, MD, Mary and Richard Morgan, who keep their holiday lights up all year round. “I’m a fanatic on Christmas”, say Mary Morgan. (baltimoresun.com). They have gotten some complaints where people have written them letters saying it was time to take down your lights; this just wanted to make them not take them down.   From their point of view, the lights mean brightness and love.  They think that if the decorations put love into people’s hearts one day a year, just think what the whole year would be like for them.  

     I have always loved Christmas lights.  I think this comes from my family.  I had a great grandmother, (Grandma Besl) who lived on the corner of 7^th and  Lacrosse Street
in Lacrosse.  Although, she died when I was eight, I can still remember her display of Christmas lights, statues, and music.  My mom would tell me how people would drive all night long along the street on Christmas Eve and day to see her decorated, festive house!  My mom says her favorite memory is seeing Santa steering his sleigh pulled by reindeer on the rooftop.  This tradition was carried on by my grandfather, (Tom Besl). He would decorate his big, old, Victorian house with lights of different shapes, colors, and sizes to give all the people of the small town of Melrose smiles and joy.  My dad decorates the outside of our house every year too, but not to the magnitude that my grandparents did.  One of the biggest reasons he doesn’t is because of the cost.   As much as he loves the cheer of the holiday, there are decisions to be made before hanging the lights up.

     If you love lights, you will need to be prepared that it could raise your electric bill anywhere from $2.00 to $70.00 or more, according to Duke Energy spokeswoman Paige Layne. (www.gastongazette.com)  The amount depends on how many lights you use and what type of bulb you use.  A family in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, who is known for their Christmas lights, reports that their power bill runs about 1,000, per month.   There are new bulbs today called, LED bulbs, that use 80-90 percent less power than an incandescent bulb.   So what else should people keep in mind when they decide to decorate?  Bruce Littlefield, who is the author of Merry Christmas America, says first of all you need to buy UL rated (Underwriters Laboratories) lights.  They have been tested and don’t have a high lead count.  He also agrees that LED lights will save you lots of money.  Littlefield says, “The difference is that LED lights are a little more expensive in the short run, but are worth it in the long run since they will save you so much on electricity. (http://www.cbsnew.com/)

     Christmas lights create a wonderful atmosphere. Have you ever seen the Rotary Lights at Riverside Park in Lacrosse?  Wow, the lights can take you into a world of unlimited possibilities!  There is nothing more peaceful and tranquil than taking a drive around Riverside Park or just up and down the street seeing the houses perfectly decorated with Christmas lights.  Christmas is a religious holiday, but also a commercial one.  So although Christmas lights can cost some money, be dangerous, and annoying to some, I for one, think it is the best way to decorate for the holidays. Don’t be a Grinch, let the lights shine!