Always lights

There's just something about Christmas lights that brings a smile to my face and lights up my heart.

One thing I think I love so much is how unique each house is. You have some who go all out (think Clark Griswold), and then you have others who just put up a few lights but still manage to bring joy to the front yard. Even some of my neighbors in an apartment complex put lights on their patios, and I think it looks fabulous.

It makes the loss of Daylight Saving Time feel less depressing.

I remember when I was a little kid, there was one house on a street near ours that was the main attraction every single year. The owner of the home was the man behind all of the MJ Designs and Michael's stores, and so his house always had not just lights but also decorative figurines out front that moved and brought joy to all of the kids and adults who visited. And, let me tell you, there were plenty of us. Cars and pedestrians lined the street every night during the holiday season just to pass by this house. It was marvelous and full of Christmastime charm.

It was unique, beautiful, and wonderful all at once.

I remember the first year this display disappeared from our city, and the owner moved from his home. I was so sad not to be able to go see it, because it was a tradition our family had come to love. One year my dad and I even went on a night run and stopped to take in the mystical scene in the crisp winter air. (I recall thinking that night that people were silly to try to say you are supposed to breathe in through your nose and out your mouth when you run. It felt impossible that evening, and I still don't think I can do it.) It's nights like those that stick with you forever.

There are many other houses out there that have Christmas lights each year that really lure people. I mean, just think about how many light lovers trek out to Highland Park to drive around or even take carriage rides to experience the thrill of the massive homes with superfluous decorations. Even surrounding trees in the neighborhood parks have lights that glisten on the ponds, and it all creates an aura of splendor and warmth, in spite of the cold temperatures that might be plaguing your fingers and nose.

Seeing the beauty in the Christmas lights just makes you forget about the unpleasant things in life.

I think people are a lot like Christmas lights in their own ways. We all have different stories, and we all have different ways of letting our lights shine. Some people are a bit shy, while others let their lights burn strongly into the night sky for as far as the eye can see. Some choose to have more sparkle and colors, while others choose a more consistent pattern. And some people don't let any light shine at all.

We were made to be unique. We were made to be beautiful. We were made to be wonderful. And we were made to be these things all at once. You shouldn't be afraid to let your light shine, and you shouldn't have to worry about how different your light is compared to someone else's. Because if you simply let your light shine you will inevitably draw people in just as they are attracted to Christmas lights.

But we don't have to wait until after Thanksgiving to be lit, nor do we have to dim anything after a certain day—we get to let our lights shine all year long, which is unique, beautiful, and wonderful all at once.