I Miss the Lights at Christmas

It seemed so much more common when we were kids, getting all bundled up and loaded in to the minivan my parents drove: me, my brother, both parents, and at least one set of grandparents; bundled up in to the car to go and see the Christmas lights.

 

Yes, there were the lights on Capitol Avenue, but also that street off of Forest Hill, and many other pockets of streets. Neighborhoods lit with the twinkling lights of many colors, I even remember when it became stylish to use just the white lights. (It just wasn’t the same, in our opinions.)

 

And then, somewhere along the way, the lights began to fade. I’m not really sure why. Jessica Walden did a really good article in the 11th Hour about the specific instances that caused the lights to dim on Capitol Avenue. Y’all should go and read it- truly. Of course some of the usual suspects were there, crime, older people dying off and moving who started the tradition, but is that the reason why this trend seems to have faded elsewhere?

 

I don’t know. I just hate that I can’t share it with my kids. Sure, I could hop in the car and take them all the way to Calloway Gardens, but it’s just not the same as a spontaneous trip. This past weekend saw the first lighted boat event on Lake Tobesofkee, but I wasn’t able to make it. Instead, I’ve taken my kids for three Christmases now to the Chick-Fil-A on Tom Hill Senior Boulevard.

 

 

 

 

It started when I was separated, prior to my divorce, and scared. Scared of change, but knowing it needed to happen. Scared with two little babies who I loved so much, who didn’t really know what was happening to them.

 

The lights, with their music and words of love, felt like both hope and… something bittersweet. But those twinkling lights also represent something else. You see, this is a part of a Habitat for Humanity project and helps to bring awareness to their mission. You can pick up a brochure for more information inside their store.

 

 

 

 

And this got me to thinking, while I may be missing the lights on various homes at Christmas-time, I’m now graced with other lights all year round. So many new and lovely people, these lights, came in to my life this past year. People I met through my Leadership Macon class- some people who were brand new to me, and some who I just got to know better. A guy who I thought I had lost from my life, and I did lose for several months, found his way back to me just a few months ago. My kids teachers and volunteers at their school. And of course, with every day that passes I grow more appreciative of friends who have stayed in my life, of my family, and my sweet babies.

 

Of course, I still miss the lights that were hung at Christmas- but these are now the lights of my life, and I am so blessed to have each of them.

 

I hope that each of you has an amazing Christmas, with the true lights in your lives to remind you of “the reason for the season”.