Holiday Lights

Here in a city historic district, people are very conservative about decorating their homes for the holiday season.  Only a couple of homes in the neighborhood have outdoor lights.  After all, there were no such decorations in colonial Virginia.  About the best people do in historic homes is to place candles in the windows of their homes.  And they’re battery-powered, not natural flame.  If I were a real stickler about these matters, I’d say, “If you want to be truly authentic, don’t use batteries!”

            Of course, once you’re out of this area, some homes are lit like approaches to the airport.  Planes can mark their position by some of these homes.  One actually is quite humorous and authentic to the area in another way.  The homeowners must have been department store window decorators.  The front yard is the scene of the U.S.S. Santa.  He is standing proudly on the bow.  Yes, Virginia, we really are on the coast … so much for sleigh and reindeer.

            When it comes to holiday décor, I like living in a colonial area.  Simplicity is the rule.  Indeed, Christmas as it is today was not an English colonial practice, with decorations and feasting and gifts.  It was a religious observance, and a low-key one at that.  Residents of a home were generous when placing a candle in the window, for it didn’t light the house.  Rather, it lit the way of the visitor.  The candle was a sign of hospitality and welcome.

            Today is the Feast of Saint Lucy (Santa Lucia).  In Sweden, a crown of lights would be placed on the heads of young girls, a crown of light to chase away the darkness and to bring warmth into a family and friends. 

            The lesson for all of us is to look for the light within.  And that glow is of the Holy Spirit.  The glow is the light of Christ within.  Can that candle be seen by others?  Do you welcome them in the name of Christ?  That is the point of any holiday light.  Happy Santa Lucia Day!