Let it shine!

Posted on by WritingfromtheheartwithBrian

I turned the corner and the dark night erupted into a twinkling light show, full of bright red and greens. There were snowflakes, snowmen smiling from cheek-to-cheek, reindeer in mid-flight, and a jolly old St. Nick. There was, of course, a manger scene too. 

On Thanksgiving night, we drove past two homes where the owners every year string lights across their homes, exterior barns and shed, and yards. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were driving through a magical Christmas village. If not a magical village, then it was certainly on par with the light show that you’d expect to see from a once popular 80s or 90s rock-and-roll band looking to make a comeback. Yes, it looked amazing.

Clark Griswold of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation had nothing on this house!

I slowed my car and drove slowly past trying to not miss anything. It was short, maybe two tenths of a mile, but it lit up the nighttime sky. As I drove away, I was reminded that one of my favorite things about December is looking at the lights that people put up for Christmas and for the holidays. I love all types, everything from the flickering red, blue, and greens to the simple clear white lights.

Shining brightly

We’re writing this month On the Heart of the Matter on “light.” It’s an interesting topic and means different things to different people. On the surface, light has everything to do illumination, whether natural or artificial from a light bulb. 

But the word can take many different forms. 

I find that I naturally think of my faith. I’m a Christian, so light, especially at Christmas, has a special meaning for me. I think of Jesus Christ’s birth, his resurrection three days after his crucifixion, and his role as “the light of the world.”

I recognize though that Christmas isn’t the only holiday in December. There are many religious (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and other faiths) and secular holidays that are culturally significant and touch on the importance of light, leading the way.



The importance of family

As I mentioned, light has other meanings too. I think of how it can be used as an adjective to refer to brightness and being slight of weight. In particular, I’m struck by how December brings “a lightness to my heart.”

I feel the weight lift from my shoulders.

For example, I think of our silly car rides looking at Christmas lights. When the kids were young, my wife and I would get them changed into their pajamas, prepare thermoses of hot chocolate, grab blankets, and drive throughout the town and the next town over marveling at the lights and chit-chatting with each other.

What lights do you like the best? What’s your favorite? What’s your least favorite? What kind of lights will you put up when you’re big?

The kids loved the most gaudy and colorful lights, while my wife and I tended to go for the more low-key clear ones. We would joke and tease each other, but what made the time so special was just spending time together with no smartphones, no work worries, just the five of us crammed together in the car.

Our kids are much older now, but it was still fun to drive around Thanksgiving night to look at the lights. One liked the reindeer, another commented on the the size of the lights and how much it took to put them up. All I know is that in the dark of the night, looking out over the lights, I held my wife’s hand and felt a lightness in my heart and happiness that I’ll refer back to countless times during quiet moments of reflection over the next year.

Yes, yes, look at those lights!

What fills you with light?

. . . . . 

Please join in on the discussion on the HoTM site. In addition, please visit my personal blog at www.writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com to read my companion piece. In addition, you can follow me on Instagram at @writingfromtheheartwithbrian.

All the best, Brian.

Images by Pexels.

32 thoughts on “Let it shine!”

  1. Pingback: A Griswold Christmas, sort of – Writing from the Heart with Brian

      1. Hot chocolate has some amazing medicinal properties. Bet you didn’t know. It solves all the world’s problems. In fact, I think before two dictators went off to war, they should first be forced to sit down together and share a cup of hot chocolate. Now it wouldn’t be foolproof, but I suspect most of the world’s disagreements would disappear! No more war. It’s hard to be angry drinking hot chocolate. Have fun with the kids Wynne!

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  3. I’m with VJ — it was a non-negotiable for my dad. A few drives every year to look at holiday lights was a tradition. He’d get inspired and off we went – usually in our jammies. Fun and spontaneous with stops for sweet treats on the way home. (He had awesome internal navigation for late night donut shops!) Thank you for this lovely light and love filled post, Brian! ❄️

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    1. I like how you phrase that Nancy. I always find it interesting when the kids take on certain traditions. For example, we have a tradition of always watching white Christmas late on Christmas Eve. It started one year because we had Santa’s presents wrapped but we didn’t have the rest of the families. Well, now it’s a tradition. Kind of funny.

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  5. I did the same type of holiday neighborhood cruises when my kids were small. It was reliably great fun. Light, of course, is now too plentiful in the urban sky. The natural light has been polluted by the same electric lights that power the holiday decorations. If they could, the unseeable stars would weep. I traveled to the western shore of Lake Superior for the sole purpose of removing the shroud with which we cover them. They wait for us, as beautiful as ever.

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    1. The good think about growing up in a rural area is that I still sometimes make the trip back and it’s always interesting visiting friends and family and seeing the stars without the haze of lights and neighborhoods. Amazing views. And as you beautifully write, “They wait for us, as beautiful as ever.”

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  6. It’s been a number of years since we’ve done any neighborhood light cruising. Good memories.

    This post also reminds me of the words of Jesus… “you are the light of the world”. I also think of the bright light (possibly star?) that led the wise men, as told in the Bible, to find Jesus. And, I find it beautiful to think how the light of friendship makes life “lighter” for me. Thanks, Brian, for all these reminders.

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    1. Exactly David. I’m glad my post made you think of them. I was thinking about what else I’m going to write about on the heart of the matter this month and you’ve got me thinking about the light of friendship. So many different places to go there. Thank you for the idea. 🙂

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  7. We had a place in my hometown that was named Twinkle Lane because every house along the block had lights shining in December. It was a tradition for many years to drive that road a few times to ogle all the lights and find a favorite!

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  9. Such a beautiful and touching post, Brian! I love, “just the five of us crammed together in the car” – I love anything where it’s us together looking at any shared vista! Thanks for bringing forward such light in my day, Brian!

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  10. Ha ha. We have a Griswold house on our street and every year it gets brighter and more colourful. They did a meet & greet with Santa on the weekend. I thought that was a nice idea and a way to get neighbours together.

    As the days get shorter in December, I find the Christmas lights give a little bit of cheer. Something we all need! As Christmas gets closer, I look forward to a walk around our local streets enjoying the light displays.

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  11. It’s interesting to think of all the various meanings of light. I used to be a procrastinator, but now I deal with things right away to LIGHTEN those burdens.

    It’s been a few years since we’ve driven around to look at lights, but just wait until I have grandchildren!

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  12. Christmas lights is one of my favourite things about December. They are just so beautiful. And I agree that light also takes many forms, including the light of family and loved ones – and how lucky we are to experience their warm light.

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    1. Oh thank you so much. It means a lot. I’ve gotten better over the years about “being in the moment.” I still have my days, but one thing I’ve tried to do is to take mental snapshots of moments I want to remember, so that I can come back to them. That was one of those moments.

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