"I’m a complete sucker for the tree in the front window. Houses that offer this should be given a tax break...."

I like Christmas for the lights. All of the rest of it is overplayed and has been beaten to death. But the lights. The lights remain. They turn even drab neighborhoods into delightful detours. And it doesn’t need to be ostentatious. Just a few well placed lights in a tiny front yard tree, or layered with care over the top of a vinyl fence. White. Colored. Blinking. I don’t care. Bring them all on. Trips that usually take me 10 minutes now take me twice as long, as I’m rubbernecking the entire way. And I’m a complete sucker for the tree in the front window. Houses that offer this should be given a tax break.

I was driving to a wake last night. Not an especially cheerful occasion. Through Moosic and Avoca and into Duryea on route 11. Not a very scenic route to be sure. A bit drab. Churches and bars and convenient stores and look-alike homes. You could be anywhere. But at this time of year, it was like driving into a constellation of stars. Just about every dwelling took the time to do something. Street lights were suddenly superfluous. I could have turned off my headlights and been safe for miles. It’s the little things sometimes. Actually, it’s the little things most of the time.

If you are a business and I walk in and see a Christmas tree, I immediately like you more. You give a shit. You dove into the basement or climbed into the attic and dragged out the tree and the boxes of lights and ornaments and, most likely after-hours, took the time to get it just right. All else being equal, if you and the dude across the street are competing and he isn’t decorated, you’re getting my money. Even if it’s just a little table-tree on the counter.

Under no circumstances should you drink in a bar that isn’t decorated for Christmas. I don’t care how much of a dive it is, there better be some lights and tinsel spread out amongst the Jack Daniels bottles, and something blinking in the widow other than a beer sign. Even “Martini’s” in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” was festive, even in the incarnation that was tossing Jimmy Stewart out on his ass for perceived gayness. The season can take the edge off even the meanest bars, and even the most surly, solitary boozers can turn downright festive if given half the chance. It all starts with the ambience. Tip your bartenders too. They’re way more important than your therapist. And much cheaper.

I remember this little restaurant in Cape May NJ that was known for keeping their Christmas tree up all year round because they just thought it made people nicer. I like this. I also like the fact that Elvis recorded all of his classic Christmas songs during the summer months, but made sure the studio was decked out in Christmassy splendor so he could get into the right mood. Christmas is a state of mind, and whether you are looking for some lasagna down the shore, or you are Elvis Presley, it’s a state worth finding and preserving.

I’m trying think of something that isn’t immediately improved by hanging Christmas lights on it and I can’t really come up with anything. Drum sets. Guitar amps. Bookshelves. Refrigerators. Garbage cans. Pint glasses. Stairway banisters. Toilet bowls. The brain reacts to such things the same way it reacts to summer fireflies. The brain is charmed.

Soon the season will be over. Everything will need to be boxed back up and put away, surely one of the most depressing tasks of the calendar year. We’ll live in perpetual darkness once again, with absolutely nothing to look forward to other than getting drunk on parade day. Christmas always ends with a thud because its lights are taken down.

But for now, they remain. Get out there and drive thru them all. Take your time. Bypass the “shows” that ask you for money, because that’s some Scrooge-ian shit. Lights should always be free. Nobody charges you to look at the stars.

Thank you for all your support this year. Over the last 3 years actually. I can’t believe I’ve been at this that long. It’s been a labor of love, but it IS labor, so if you can spare a few dimes, I’d appreciate your paid subscription. I can’t do this without you.

Happy Christmas to you all…

In a bit…

—tf