This Christmas season, we did a little bit more outdoor lighting than usual. Still pushing back against that dark winter! I'll share some here, and some over at my Christmas blog.
At the top of the post is a little fir tree that is situated amidst other trees between our house and the road. Mt. T wanted to put colored lights on it to cheer passers-by.
We have a neighbor (I use the term loosely; they live several miles from here) who strings trees in his woods with lights every year. It seems like each year he adds a few more trees. I can't tell you how cheering and heartwarming it is to see his simply lighted forest of trees when driving by in the evenings. From what I understand, he and his wife have even received notes from complete strangers thanking them for the light display. It is very simple, but so beautifully effective.
But back to our tiny fir tree. It got nearly buried in snow when we had our nine inches a week or so before Christmas. The photo above was taken from indoors and may be the best one that we got. Below is one taken from outdoors.
We also did a little tree on our porch this year. In the attic, when looking for an artificial tree to place in the loft at the camp, Mr. T came upon the top of a tree that he thought would work to serve as a small tree. One day I was walking by the garage and noticed a stack of sap buckets. Lightbulb moment! Of course, being an artificial tree, it needed something to hold it in place within the bucket and also some weight to keep it from blowing over in the winter winds, so my handy husband figured out a solution with pieces of wood fitted around the trunk in the top of the bucket.
We've been pleased with how cheerful this looks! Passers-by and visitors to our home can enjoy it, and it's also cheering to us to look out the windows and see it there. Both sets of lights -- the colored on the fir tree and white on the porch tree -- are on timers set to come on around 4:30 pm and go off around 10 pm. They also come on again for a few hours in the dark of early morning -- say from 5 am to 7 am. Just letting our lights shine!
I love your outdoor tree and your porch tree! Yes, I agree, they cheer those who are privileged to pass by, and they also give you much joy as you welcome the light in the long dark winter nights. We also have a porch tree that I love. I can see its lights from inside the house and it makes me smile...and it makes me smile whenever I go outside after dark and see it glowing for all to see. We don't do much else outdoors in the way of decorations, except for our nativity scene and the little wooden tree that says "For Unto Us a Child is born"...and we put a spotlight on those. That tells the story we want to convey at Christmas. Yes, Jesus is that "Child", and He is also "the Light of the world". We are so blessed to live in that light. Thank you for your story. I would love to see the lighted forest trees that your neighbor so kindly puts out.
ReplyDeleteIt has been so cheering in the bleak winter to see lights when driving along. I put colored lights on my front door and had candles in the windows. My neighbor, bless her heart, always had a beautiful display and I so enjoyed it. Her husband died earlier in the year of with covid. Needless to say, there are no lights this year. Another neighbor had candles in all her windows, but since Christmas Eve, they are gone. I'm all alone in the cheer department. I will keep it up through New Year's. To keep it up through 12th Day would just label me crazy, which at this point, I may be. 🥴
ReplyDeleteHow good to let your light shine! Comforting and peaceful.
I love that you have outside lights. So cheery against the darkness of winter.
ReplyDelete