Thirty-one

Coming home from Wal-Mart tonight (it was an emergency, I had to get new printer cartridges), I noticed the first wave of holiday lights. Let me say this, Christmas is not my favorite holiday. It's rather like a night out at a Chippendale's bar. It's a lot of prep and planning, you get there and it's loud, really expensive and over with quickly. Afterwards, you wonder why you even bothered. If you're a parent with little kids, I've heard it's different because you relive the holiday through the wonder and joy of your child's eyes. Yeah, whatever.
Here's what I enjoy about the season: time off from work which I shouldn't have to explain because I work for the public schools. Also because lots of my friends are teachers, I get to see them a little more and that's never a bad thing because they are a witty and urbane lot and many times they bring me wine. Most of the time, it's cooler and I have an opportunity to wear socks and sweaters. People wear pants more, something I'm grateful for because let's face it, not everyone looks good in shorts, no matter how warm it is.
So it's the lights that delight me and the neighborhood light tours we take all during December are one of the few traditions of the season. Already off Penman Ave, there's a house in full Mother Ship light allure. I'm certain this house can be seen from the Hubble Telescope. Now, some would offer the words gaudy, overdone or tasteless for this kind of lighting design and that is a matter of opinion. I find those inflatable things you see on lawns to be pretty tasteless. I find them to be creepy which may go back to multiple viewings of that old Twilight Zone episode where the people were in that glass bubble city. My neurosis, but I stand by it.
What I admire about the Mother Ship house is their focus and their work ethic. It took a village to erect that kind of startling illumination and a vision to see it through. Sure, it may take your breath away and perhaps cause permanent damage to your retinas, but commitment like that is rare and refreshing especially during the holidays.