I’m having an internal debate. White lights versus multi-coloured. It really comes down to choice but are we being fed a pack of malarkey to slant the vote one way? Is it snobbery that proclaims white lights to be better, classier over the not so sophisticated, old fashioned, multi-coloured? Who decides the fate of one over the other? Are there light police or people that think their excrement is a breath of fresh air, calling all the shots? How can Christmas lights be good or bad? Isn’t Christmas one of the most colourful holidays of the year? Why try to dull it down?
How many of you out there have white lights when all you really want is a bit of colour on your tree, like you had when you were a kid? But you can’t be the only one in the neighbourhood to stand out. See the eyebrows lifted on all those white lighters and feel the shun from those that can’t see past the tilt of their nose?
I’ve fallen for this propaganda before. The need to be “in” made me throw out the coloured bulbs for their newer replacement. Then I joined the haters that proclaim loudly how coloured lights are tacky when what right does anyone have to rain on anyone's parade? Oh the power of marketing.....someone came up with this white light takeover and it hit Vogue and all the trend followers jumped on the bandwagon until the coloured light folks became second best.
Like most families, I grew up with coloured lights, those large bulbs that heated the room and if left unattended caused a fire or two. When one bulb blew out there was a scramble and scorched fingers to find the offending culprit so the set worked again. As a child I stared into that magnificently lit tree like a crow in a jewelry store. They were like sparkling jewels, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Their glitz reflected in the tinsel and mercury bulbs surrounding them for extra glimmer and the tree projected on the ceiling and the walls, expanding their beauty to fill the entire room. Those memories will stay with me forever....
But now those coloured bulbs have fallen out of fashion, somehow are low class. It’s all about the white light now. God forbid our lights clash with the tree ornaments. We are asked to hang white lights on our businesses, a united stand for the town, strings of them spanning the entire length of the downtown area. We want to delight visitors to see the row on row of diamonds twinkling as if the cosmos have chosen to settle on our town. Some have rebelled, perhaps for the mere act of it or maybe they can’t afford to switch when they have perfectly good lights with years of life remaining. As I drove through town I marvelled at the twinkling buildings, most white, some coloured and I was torn between which ones were most appealing, which ones speak to the artist in me, which ones would spark a child’s interest? It was unanimous; the coloured lights held more delight. I felt young and as I basked in the glow of the multi colours, a portal to my childhood.
I conformed and put up white lights and that is all I have on my home tree but maybe it’s time for a change. I found some delightful led mini lights that run off a battery pack and put them on top of my kitchen cupboard for the pot luck hooking party, draped along old tins and speckle ware that display there. I put them in a large bowl of blue and white china balls, and the lights glow like the embers of a fire. Their shine is full of awe, a depth that transports me elsewhere, to a time when everything about Christmas was a wonder. I do like the white lights, they remind me of diamonds, a girl’s best friend, and the best part about being a grownup, I can have it all.
On my way home from work Saturday evening I drove by Mary’s house. Her front window framed their large, ten foot Christmas tree ablaze with lights, peppered with hundreds of miniature orbs of colour, predominately red with green and gold mixed in. It was the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen. Tall and stately, it was so exquisite it tempted me to knock on their door to bask in its glow. I’ve never had that feeling from a white light tree before. I didn’t act on my urge, I had pups waiting for me needing to go outside so I passed by but the picture lingered longer than the actual view. I’ve thought of it a lot over the weekend.
I came home to my little LED slights that I’ve left on day and night since they were hung. They make me far happier than white lights have ever done. I can be classy elsewhere, use silver napkin rings to keep up with the Jones. This year our tree will have white lights because that’s what’s stored in the attic and maybe I won’t change as they are too good to discard on the basis of their lack of colour, but I will subsidise with the multi coloured ones for a bit of nostalgia elsewhere, relay the warmth of my childhood and all the fond memories this time of year brings.
So my decision? My vote is for multi coloured on a 60/40 split. I like both and will use them appropriately. I just don’t like being told I can only have one or the other or that somehow I’m less sophisticated because of an “inappropriate” choice, rebel that I am....
How many of you out there have white lights when all you really want is a bit of colour on your tree, like you had when you were a kid? But you can’t be the only one in the neighbourhood to stand out. See the eyebrows lifted on all those white lighters and feel the shun from those that can’t see past the tilt of their nose?
I’ve fallen for this propaganda before. The need to be “in” made me throw out the coloured bulbs for their newer replacement. Then I joined the haters that proclaim loudly how coloured lights are tacky when what right does anyone have to rain on anyone's parade? Oh the power of marketing.....someone came up with this white light takeover and it hit Vogue and all the trend followers jumped on the bandwagon until the coloured light folks became second best.
Like most families, I grew up with coloured lights, those large bulbs that heated the room and if left unattended caused a fire or two. When one bulb blew out there was a scramble and scorched fingers to find the offending culprit so the set worked again. As a child I stared into that magnificently lit tree like a crow in a jewelry store. They were like sparkling jewels, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Their glitz reflected in the tinsel and mercury bulbs surrounding them for extra glimmer and the tree projected on the ceiling and the walls, expanding their beauty to fill the entire room. Those memories will stay with me forever....
But now those coloured bulbs have fallen out of fashion, somehow are low class. It’s all about the white light now. God forbid our lights clash with the tree ornaments. We are asked to hang white lights on our businesses, a united stand for the town, strings of them spanning the entire length of the downtown area. We want to delight visitors to see the row on row of diamonds twinkling as if the cosmos have chosen to settle on our town. Some have rebelled, perhaps for the mere act of it or maybe they can’t afford to switch when they have perfectly good lights with years of life remaining. As I drove through town I marvelled at the twinkling buildings, most white, some coloured and I was torn between which ones were most appealing, which ones speak to the artist in me, which ones would spark a child’s interest? It was unanimous; the coloured lights held more delight. I felt young and as I basked in the glow of the multi colours, a portal to my childhood.
I conformed and put up white lights and that is all I have on my home tree but maybe it’s time for a change. I found some delightful led mini lights that run off a battery pack and put them on top of my kitchen cupboard for the pot luck hooking party, draped along old tins and speckle ware that display there. I put them in a large bowl of blue and white china balls, and the lights glow like the embers of a fire. Their shine is full of awe, a depth that transports me elsewhere, to a time when everything about Christmas was a wonder. I do like the white lights, they remind me of diamonds, a girl’s best friend, and the best part about being a grownup, I can have it all.
On my way home from work Saturday evening I drove by Mary’s house. Her front window framed their large, ten foot Christmas tree ablaze with lights, peppered with hundreds of miniature orbs of colour, predominately red with green and gold mixed in. It was the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen. Tall and stately, it was so exquisite it tempted me to knock on their door to bask in its glow. I’ve never had that feeling from a white light tree before. I didn’t act on my urge, I had pups waiting for me needing to go outside so I passed by but the picture lingered longer than the actual view. I’ve thought of it a lot over the weekend.
I came home to my little LED slights that I’ve left on day and night since they were hung. They make me far happier than white lights have ever done. I can be classy elsewhere, use silver napkin rings to keep up with the Jones. This year our tree will have white lights because that’s what’s stored in the attic and maybe I won’t change as they are too good to discard on the basis of their lack of colour, but I will subsidise with the multi coloured ones for a bit of nostalgia elsewhere, relay the warmth of my childhood and all the fond memories this time of year brings.
So my decision? My vote is for multi coloured on a 60/40 split. I like both and will use them appropriately. I just don’t like being told I can only have one or the other or that somehow I’m less sophisticated because of an “inappropriate” choice, rebel that I am....
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