Last Monday was the day that most of the Christmas lights came down at our house. We had long since stopped turning on the lights on the garage and front porch, however the backyard fence still was trimmed with those white lights that seem so right when there is snow on the ground and the nights still come early.

I remember hearing a radio commentary sometime ago, that given all the work it is to put up the lights, why not leave them up till Valentine’s Day. It had to do with the notion of brightening what can otherwise be a rather dreary time of year. Now I love winter and welcome every snowstorm. Winter is my favorite season so I don’t feel any real need to counter its negative press. Yet for me, the lights of the Christmas season do indeed have a place beyond Christmas, New Year’s Day and even past Epiphany. They are a gift to all who look upon them and a reminder that light does indeed dispel darkness. They speak of the coming spring and their twinkle adds another kind of lightness to the night.

Even though I subscribe to a longer than traditional lighting season, I don’t always make it all the way to Valentine’s Day. When the weather for whatever reason does not make for a good ski day, I might take advantage of the opportunity to pack the lights away for another year. This year two of my neighbors kept turning their lights on – so what I could do but reciprocate. However, as I write this, my neighbor who lies to the east has only a porch light burning and today’s weather and my schedule conspired to make clear that this was the day to at least start the task. All of the lights, cords and timers, save those on the backyard fence are now in boxes ready to be stowed away in the garage attic.

As I carried a couple of extension cords into the garage, I noticed that the Elliots, my neighbors to the north, must not have heard that same radio commentary about Valentine’s Day being the outer limit for Christmas lights. Their colored lights burn bright and the icicle lights sparkle. Good for them! In fact if they want to continue to illuminate this corner of Wenatchee I’ll enjoy for as longs as they shine.  And come next November or early December, notwithstanding what I told my wife, I will dutifully set about my seasonal task.   Don’t tell her that I enjoy the finished product almost as much as she does.