The other day I read an article about a woman who’d lost both her father and her aunt (with whom she lived) to COVID-19 in January. Her dad always enjoyed decorating their front yard with Christmas lights, which he did before he fell ill. It was more than a month later, and the daughter hadn’t gotten around to taking them down; partly because of her grief and also because the act of putting the lights up meant so much to her dad. One would think people would be understanding in these circumstances.
But no.
Then came “the letter” to her mailbox.
The anonymous letter excoriated her for leaving the lights up so long: “Take your Christmas lights down! Its Valentines Day!!!!!!”
She shared the letter on a Facebook mom’s group and asked that people show a little kindness and understanding because you never really know what other people are going through.
In response, her neighbors put their Christmas lights back up in solidarity with her.
This country is nearing 500,000 souls lost to the pandemic. Texas just had a near death experience with its power grid, which had the very real possibility of leaving all of us without power for months. I was one of the lucky ones who was without power for only 15 hours and didn’t have to boil water to be able to drink it. Many others weren’t so lucky. There are many tales of people helping their neighbors instead of berating them. Here is one, and here is another.
So, every year I’ve done a Snoopy gingerbread dog house at Christmas and usually leave it up until Valentine’s Day because it lends a bit of cheer to my home after all the other Christmas decorations are taken down. But just before that day, our snow storm hit so I had other more pressing concerns. But now, upon reflection, I’ve decided I’m going to keep it on display until this pandemic has been tamed and people stop dying by the thousands. And also in the hope I can eventually get vaccinated so I can be with my family here once again. Sometimes we just need a little Christmas.
“Only 15 hours…” In spite of the comparison to others, that’s still a lot! Glad you’re okay. Great article, I missed it somehow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! My power went out between one and one thirty in the morning on Wednesday, so I wasn’t aware of it until I got up to go to the bathroom around 3:30. My house got down to 57 at its lowest, which isn’t bad, considering some folks who live in older homes here were in the low 40’s or worse. Fortunately, the power came back before the sun went down, so I didn’t have to use the battery powered lights I have for such emergencies. I have a battery powered radio, so I listened to our local station all day for news and companionship. They play nothing but country music (the oldies) so Dolly, Johnny, Willie, and Merle kept me company. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! As Auntie Mame would say, “We need a little Christmas right now!” I hope you get your vaccinations soon. Our second is scheduled next week. Love the Snoopy gingerbread dog house!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! My grandkids’ school sells the assembled undecorated house for a fund raiser every year. It comes with some candy, but I always add my own and more bags of icing and the “light bulbs.” I made Snoopy and Woodstock out of felt and padded Snoopy for a 3-dimensional affect. I reuse them every year.
LikeLike
Great reminder to be kind and not assume. I love your Snoopy gingerbread dog house. I’ll be getting my second vaccination this week so my fingers are crossed that we can all get rid of our masks soon… including Snoopy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m jealous–I haven’t been able to get my first vaccination yet. Our hospital is considered a “hub” for this area and the last time they opened a sign up website for 1,200 available shots, the site crashed because 7,000 people tried to access it at the same time. Now they have a “vaccine interest” sign up page. Kind of like, “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” I’m also trying three local pharmacies multiple times a day on their websites. Got through on one a couple of weeks ago, but the appointments were gone before I could snag one. Rats!
LikeLike