The Christmas season is almost over, but I don't think we should be in any rush to take down the holiday lights.

This is a little out of character for me, since I'm normally the person complaining about neighbors that leave their lights up to long. My general rule is that your lights should be off by the new year. I know there are some circumstances that may stop you from getting them off the house, but as long as they are not turned on, it's ok. Inflatable displays need to be gone by the 28th, if not sooner.

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Those are my general rules in a normal Christmas season, but this Christmas has been anything but normal. That's why I am changing my tune a bit when it comes to the holiday lights displays.

My mind started to change this summer when the neighborhood I live in decided to do a week of lights during the summer. We have a tree that is wrapped in led lights in our front yard, so we just plugged it in. It was amazing to see how many people would stop and look, and how our neighbors would comment how much they loved seeing the tree lit up during the summer. The idea behind doing it this summer was to bring a little joy into the neighborhood during the hardest part of the pandemic. That's what is spurring my change of heart about leaving the lights up longer this year.

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I got a call from a listener named Shirley this week that 100% convinced me that leaving the lights up longer this year is a good idea.

Shirley explained that the lights have always brought joy into her heart, and that we could all use a little more hope right now. Shirley suggested that the lights stay up until Jan 20th, and I completely agree. Heck, if you want to leave them up for the entire month of January, I say go for it!

One of my favorite parts of the day is driving home after work, and seeing the entire neighborhood lit up, and I'm not sure I want that to end right after Christmas.

 

Light Up The Community 2020

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