We have never put up Christmas lights. Let me rephrase that; we have never put up more than a few hanging balls that we threw up with some fishing line and a lure.
Don’t get me wrong, we love those balls.
We just always travel at the end of the year and have never been home long enough to enjoy the full shebang of completely decked out halls.
Since traveling clearly isn’t in the cards this year, we’ve channeled our holiday travel planning into a holiday light display.
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In an effort to spread a little holiday cheer, my Cheermeister and I have custom created pieces, spent countless nights spinning around trees with light strands, and gone back to the store more times than I would care to admit. Our thought process has been if this display can bring a small glimmer of joy to someone in this crazy year, then it was worth every minute of work.
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We’ve got your basic lights on the house- which were no easy feat mind you, as I am too short to reach where they need to be and he has a terrible phobia of heights. Then there’s the bows on the mailbox and carriage lights, tree lights, our custom Star of Bethlehem. And finally, the “squishies”.
What is a “squishy” you may ask? Well that is how my kiddos affectionately refer to inflatable decorations.
We lucked out at one of my favorite design places and were able to find several small ones at a phenomenal price. My favorite, hands down, was my little Grinch.
I’ve had a fascination with Mr. Grinch as long as I can possibly remember. From the original storybook to the Boris Karloff cartoon, to the Jim Carrey remake, to the latest version, I just have always had a soft spot in my heart for him. I’ve got a stuffed animal Grinch from childhood that still makes his appearance every year. Last year we even had matching Grinch Christmas jammies! (But let me get back on topic before I get started on how Grinch is a nice guy who just had a bad rap……)
Anyhow, the plan was to totally deck out one side of the house and have Grinch on the other side “pulling” the lights down.
So here we are putting some finishing touches on our Christmas creative, when my husband goes missing for an hour or so.
He comes home with a huge smile and exclaims, “I did a thing”.
Now, there are few things that can cause alarm in a woman as fast as those words right there, but in this case it had a positive outcome.
He goes over to our Grinch, and unplugs him. When asking why in the world he took down my favorite piece, he tells me to go inside and not come out until he calls me.
So I do.
When the coast is clear, I come outside and bask in the green glory.
My Grinch grew 10 sizes that day.
And my heart, like Grinch’s, had also grown several sizes.
My husband had decided to upgrade to an outrageous 11ft Grinch squishy. Because he knew it would make me happy even if only for a moment. That it would mean something to me. And it did. And I cried.
In this scary trashcan fire of a year, his silly, kind gesture brought so much joy into my heart. For the same reason we were doing the entire display as a sign of hope for others, he wanted to bring some to me.
No matter where you find yourself right now, you can always find ways to give others hope. In this season of giving and especially into the new year, please consider sharing the kindness within your heart. Find a way to serve others.
From a social distance of course.
