Neighborhood Christmas Lights
A story about unexpected joy
Fifteen minutes from where I live, two houses share a strand of Christmas lights. The houses are situated across the street from one another, each decorated with brightly colored bulbs and their version of Christmas magic. A single strand of twinkle lights hangs from the telephone polls on each property, making a sort of bridge of lights that one drives under as they come down the street. Every time I go by it, I can’t help but smile.
Who are these neighbors with the connecting Christmas lights? What made them do it? How long have they lived across the street from one another? Do they have kids, and if so, are the children friends? Do they invite one another over for Christmas dinner? Do they plan summer barbeques, too?
What makes one share a strand of Christmas lights with their neighbor across the street?
These are the questions that flood my brain every time I see the lights, and questions that I will probably never know the answer to — and yet, I like to think of these people as lifelong friends, sharing their Christmas joy for the entire block. I imagine that they are the type of people who bake cookies, sing Christmas carols, and bring as many seats to the table as needed so that people aren’t alone on the holidays.
