Christmas Returns to the Prairie

At one time (literally, one time), I tossed a few Christmas lights into some pine trees on the hill below my house.  That was almost thirty years ago and, weirdly enough, the time spent decorating and then removing the lights felt suspiciously like work.

We are talking ladders, fluffing around within the branches of the trees, and two full extension cord runs from my back deck.

As Christmas approached each year following, I thought to myself: Surely, my scattering of Christmas lights outdoors is only adding to the overall and ongoing thermal decay throughout the universe.

It might be a bad thing.

And it’s work.

Thanks to Desiree, Christmas has returned to the prairie.  “I want some Christmas lights,” she announced one day not long ago.

“Lights,” I repeated.

“Yes,” she said.  “In the trees out front.  White lights and colored lights.”

I appraised Desiree’s lovely face while considered the overall thermal decay of the universe.  “Lights,” I muttered again.

Within an hour we found ourselves flying off to town to fetch some lights proper.

Provided with a couple warm afternoons (anything near thirty above applies here), we flung strings of Christmas lights out in front and dragged extension cords out to meet them.

Last night, Desiree managed a few colorful photographs of our lights with her smartphone.  I am posting three of her pictures so you know what thermal decay looks like up close.

 

—Mitchell Hegman