Let There Be Light
By Julie, decking the halls in Somerville
It’s been a while since I decked my halls. The pandemic started the spiral, and then some family challenge came up, and then and then and then. It felt as though taking the ornaments out, hanging up the lights, dusting off the creche, it was all too much. But this year I decided to do a little bit, just to add some light to the apartment. Then I remembered how wonderful it can be.
As this artsy photo taken from my couch shows, I’ve now got two trees, lights in the bow window, and a fabulous outline of a tree. All connected by two clickers. I’ve also got lights in vases in the kitchen. I may try and get them all on one clicker by the end of the season.
The trees are heavy with ornaments. I’d forgotten how many I had, and how precious some of the memories are. Passed down by my grandmother, made for me by nieces and nephews, made by me when I was a child, bought during travels, given to me as gifts, collected by me.
I’ve also gone a bit nuts on advent calendars. Every day I’m folding oragami and adding some stitches to a cross stitch project that will hopefully make sense by Christmas. I also bought this advent calendar, which delights me. Brownie points for those who recognize it.
Decking the halls when you live alone is a lot of work. Too much work, I’d decided for three years. But this year I’ve gone for it, and I couldn’t be more delighted.
I’ve also been working on my third Theater Cop book, which is taking some interesting twists and turns. I think that project has been cathartic. I’m setting it five years later–post pandemic. I want to talk about how the pandemic affected theater, but I also want the novel to be fun. There are true crime podcasters, bodies under the smoking porch, and a bit of a Midsommer Murders vibe. I’m going with it. I’ll be publishing it myself, which will take a while, but it will come out in 2024.
Having fun writing (which I discovered during NaNoWriMo) led me to decorating, which had led me to a good mood that has kept me writing. The lights by the window are less Christmas and more holiday. I think they’ll be staying up to keep me smiling, and writing, well into the new year.
Friends, are you in the holiday spirit this year? Who else is hanging lights? Happy Hanukkah, a celebration of light, to those celebrating.
