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Blogs by Paul Cuenco
My Christmas Lights 12/9/2011 10:45:54 AM
It was a few days ago, when I went home absolutely exhausted from the day. I have worked over 10 and ½ hours that day without much reward. Although the line of customers was long, the line was very hectic that very few customers actually stopped by me and inquired about the product I was selling. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to dash out that door, hands gripping their cart with faces looking towards the night awaiting them. By the time, I headed outside onto the parking lot the number of cars had dwindled to a countable few. I did not head for Greater Trumps, rather, I first headed straight home.
Then to my amazement, big colored light bulbs illuminated my neighbor’s house. It was grand. They don’t have any decorations of any kind. There were no lanterns. There was no nativity, no reindeers with heads bobbing up and down or three glob of snow piled on top of one another we call a snowman; just this big colored light bulbs outlining their house and garage. I stood outside my driveway, mesmerized by the display. For a while, I studied it. There were red bulbs and green; blue and yellow. Against the clear December night, against their barren tree which now was devoid of leaves, it was magnificent, to me. No one in the neighborhood had put up their decorations, let alone their colored lights so you can tell that they were the first ones who had some sort of Christmas air.
I entered my house, and taking the queue from my neighbor, I thought of plugging in my own rendition of light bulbs. It was the colored lights you hang on a Christmas tree. I had imagined it to be worn out; all of it. But I plugged it in anyway. Lo and behold, the lights were switched on, but only half of them glowed. The other half was dead. So, my lights illuminated half my house while the other half lay in the dark. I stepped outside and bear witness to my house with one string of lights.
Then I thought of decorating my home like when I was still living in the Bay Area. When I was commuting between Portland and the Bay Area, I would decorate my home in Portland with twinkling things by the big window. I would hang a wreath, too. And then my home would truly harbor the spirit of Christmas. But I don’t know if I would decorate my home, now because I would be going to the Bay Area this coming season and it is only I who would enjoy the true meaning of Christmas in my home. Ah, nonetheless, that decision will have to wait for a few more days. Maybe, I would start decorating, maybe, not; that all depends on how I feel about it.
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