I’m pretty sure my new neighbors think I’m crazy. We had a nice weekend by South Dakota standards so I decided it would be a great time to put up Christmas lights. You know, just get them set up so we’re ready to turn them on in a month or two.
The first clue I was up to something suspicious came on Friday. The kids were off school so the moment Saul left for the office, Charlie and I were on a mission. My 13 year old is way better with heights and balance than I am, so he offered to do the high lights. Several people drove very slowly past our house to see what a kid was doing hanging upside down from the roof. No children were harmed or emergency personnel were called. Thank you God.
As a side note, Saul is terribly afraid of heights. When he saw the lights and asked how we got them up there, I cleverly changed the subject. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
It turns out, you can’t string an infinite amount of lights together with one power source. For the next two days, Charlie and I were out there trying to figure out the perfect light to electricity ratio. We finally got it, but had to sacrifice the Clark Griswold effect we were going for. Lesson learned.
Now comes the part where the neighbors think we’re wacky.
Last night, I turned on the lights. Beautiful colorful icicles outlined our home.
We will be welcoming trick-or-treaters later this week with Christmas lights fully illuminated.
Why the cross contamination of holidays? Because foolishness is fun.
I learned that back in 2015, the summer I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When Christmas came around, I was so excited and grateful to be well, I advanced the celebration by a few months.
Last week I was back in the doctor’s office. The radiologist saw something on the mammogram that looked a lot like cancer, so she brought me in for an ultrasound.
The test came back clear, but that hiccup was enough to remind me that life is worth celebrating. All the special times in our lives will pass us by unnoticed if we let them. Birthdays, job promotions, good report cards, new puppies, old friends, and yes, holidays hold a special joy for me.
The neighbors might think I’m crazy, but that’s all part of the fun. Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
