Ah, the memories that are summoned this time of year as we unpack the Christmas decorations, the Menorah or the Mishumaa Saba candles. Here is that very odd-looking decoration I made in the fourth grade that my mother kept all those years. It’s always good for a laugh, and sometimes a tear or two. Look at those beautiful brass electric candles for the mantle and remember the warm glow of their now endangered and diminishing supply of incandescent bulbs. LEDs, for all their moral superiority, just aren’t as pretty. I’ll bet you’ve got an ornament or two, carefully preserved, that carries special memories.
This is the time of year when we’re more than willing to burn a little extra fossil fuel regardless of our political or philosophical inclinations. There are family and friends that must be seen in order to sufficiently commemorate another trip around the sun, and those who have no other time off from work during the year to accommodate a visit. There are dinners and parties to attend, and yes, a bit of shopping is not inherently evil when the material gesture emerges from a sincere spiritual desire. Better still is the gift of time and companionship that a road trip provides, and perhaps a bit of global warming will take the edge off these frosty mornings.
AAA says there will be near-record levels of holiday travel again in 2023. This, as much as anything we do, holds up an (LED, of course) illuminated mirror to the advanced, or declining, state of our civilization, that families and friendships must travel hundreds and thousands of miles for a much-needed hug. The Age of Exploration is long gone, but we continue to expand in pursuit of economic frontiers, because my company transferred me, because I can make more money in the city, or because I’ve just got to get away from this small town.
The natural impulse of the young is to explore and expand our boundaries, and so we migrate. Later in life, the impulse turns to escaping what we once sought so fervently, to get away from the noise and the bustle, traffic and crime, and so we migrate again to quieter places. A significant chapter in the growth of these mountain counties is the story of families born here who moved to the industrial cities for work, retired, and then came back to what was once and always home.
I consider myself lucky that my own travels more closely resembled the kudzu vine than the tumbleweed. I traveled far and wide but always returned to the place where my roots grew ever deeper. Blessed are those who can visit their entire family on a Sunday afternoon, and these families are fewer and farther between in the developed world. But let us continue unpacking our memories along with a few more decorations.
During my years growing up in the large poultry town to our south and for a long time afterward, we would drive around the neighborhoods at night to enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations. I was there recently and disappointed to discover that few people inside the city limits are decorating outdoors this year.
Perhaps it’s holiday fatigue caused by the start of Merchantile Christmas back in September. Maybe it’s because only 63% of Americans now consider themselves to be Christian. (Ten years ago it was almost 80%.) The Neighborhood Watch website posits that there is a significant chance that any decorations placed outside now in this rapidly growing city will be stolen, and people are unwilling to contribute to that particular redistribution of wealth after being robbed at the grocery store and soon to be robbed again on the 15th of April.
I’m grateful that this is not a problem in the hills and valleys of home, where the internal joy of the season still finds outward expression in the illumination of front yards and the creative arrangement of all that is brightly colored and silly and dear to the child, the grandchild, and the inner child. Tracey’s courtyard is illuminated this year by white and red LEDs that have been modified to mimic the warm glow of the old unenlightened incandescent lights. They do look nice and admittedly contribute significantly less to our power bill.
We’ve now found that box of Christmas DVDs in the attic. Rumor has it that Hallmark will be adding a second plot to their vast collection of Christmas movies this year, but we will still be enjoying our own selection that includes Snoopy, the Kranks, the Griswalds, and a Miracle on 34th Street. At the heart of it all, however, is the miracle that occurred over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. With continuing gratitude, we celebrate the season and wish you all the best of it, and you might see us slowing down in front of your house at night to appreciate your Christmas lights.
Outside The Box 