Yesterday I went for a late afternoon ride and noticed that, among other things, late afternoon is stretching later into the day. I shouldn’t have been surprised: Almost a month has passed since the Winter Solstice.
Something else I noticed also shouldn’t have surprised me, but did: It seems that Christmas decorations have remained on homes and businesses, and in public places, for longer than in any other year I can recall. I’m sure it has to do with the fact that nearly two years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived here. Some people, like health care workers, are tired in body; many more, I am sure, are fatigued in spirit. Perhaps putting up those decorations, or simply trying to muster up some cheer, sapped them.
Or they may simply want to cling to whatever flickerings of joy that are illuminating days that, while lengthening, are still followed by long nights.
I suspect that such is the story of the Toufous family, who gives our neighborhood one of the best and most extravagant holiday displays I’ve ever seen:
They’ve put on a great show for years, But I think they outdid themselves to honor the memory of a family member.
They, like so many people, have endured so much during the past year. If they want to leave that display up all year, even if only to make themselves feel better, I’m all for it!
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