2020: Notes 45-51 - Can you thank a building?

Christmas is not my holiday, but I love the beauty and joy of the season. Every year, I drive around to admire everyone’s holiday decorations. This year, I came across seven unique displays that really caught my eye. I pulled over and sat there in my car, admiring the beauty, the creativity, and the work that went into putting together something so special. I was captivated. Nothing else was on my mind...no Covid, no politics, no small annoyances...just awe.

Of course I can't technically thank a building. It's the people who live (or work) there who made it happen. I don't know any of them, I just have their addresses. So I've written anonymously to express my gratitude for their beautiful displays and how happy they made me.

One house has spectacular large bells that look like antique glass hanging from the trees. Another has every window lit up from the inside - not one light but a lot of tiny ones covering the entire window. The third has a massive red bow on a huge pine tree on the front lawn. Nothing else, just the bow (my mom would call that a "statement piece"). Another is on a country road, with lights all around and the front porch decorated in a unique way that incorporates the porch furniture. The next is more standard, but the lights were arranged nicely and it was across from a house that was so over the top with blinking lights that it hurt my eyes. The sixth house has a wreath around the front entrance that is so massive people walk through it to enter the home. The seventh isn't a house; it's a local art museum. They have a massive tree lit up and lights around the building, accenting the mansard roof.

I am so grateful for the time, energy and thought that people put into these displays. If they can give me so much joy, I imagine they do so for many others as well.