Party Time
Started stringing Christmas lights yesterday. I put up the hard ones. The icicle lights that hang from the gutters. They require a ladder. Boo. Of course, I was in a good mood. So, while I was up there, I cleaned the gutter and trimmed deadwood from the big oak. I also trimmed a branch from one of the crape myrtles, and the rose bushes that got hammered by the drought. It was a productive day. Now I know it’s not even Thanksgiving and its actually too early to be putting up Christmas decorations, but there is a method to my madness.
The day after Thanksgiving is the day they turn on the big light display at Pedernales Electric Co-op, Lights Spectacular, and last year I used it as the occasion for a Christmas party for children. Come to the house, eat, drink, then walk into town to watch the fireworks and see the lights. It was part of my plan to rediscover Christmas after the passing of my wife in 2020 took all the joy from that year’s season. I decorated the house to a fare thee well. The kids came and once again there was joy in the house.
Of course, as anyone knows who has thrown a party, it is hard to replicate a successful party. But I’m giving it a try and won’t worry too much if it doesn’t go as well as last year’s event. I’m stringing lights, putting up decorations in the house, and looking for cool, kid party favors. There will be music, and food, and lights, and fireworks and smiling, happy children. And I can think of no better salve for a soul wounded by the loss of a loved one than the laughter of a child.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale