This was Kevin and Roberta Johnson's house at 1613 S. Nyssa Place in Broken Arrow last year. I hope they're doing this again! We photographed them in 2010 because the couple was known for waving at passersby and allowing them to donate stuff to Toys For Tots. Click here to check out the story we wrote about 'em last year. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
I'll eschew my annual Dec. 1 lament of "I can't believe it's December already!" (or not, apparently) and dive right into full-on, LED-illuminated, tinsel-covered, blinking-angel-on-the-crooked-tree panic.
Don't get me wrong, as I love me some Christmas. As I type this, I'm listening to "O Little Town of Bethlehem." It's calming some of the voices in my head that, by mid-December, are usually enunciating "O Holy Night" as it if were an expletive phrase.
I've yet to shop for anyone, save myself. Sorry, I couldn't pass up the $3 "Harvest" Yankee Candle at the Sapulpa Hallmark store this week. THREE DOLLARS!!! That's like finding new tires for $20 each or something equally necessary in life. Those of y'all with pets and/or men in your house KNOW the necessity of a few good candles.
Whatever, I still have Christmas gifts to buy, goodies to bake for work (I've already forgotten why, but it's written on my calendar), find the perfect pie crust to discover, THEN bake it, re-do the dang lights on the dang tree because half of 'em STILL don't freakin' work -- AAUGH!!! (Is that how you spell your screams? I've always followed the late-great Charles "Peanuts" Schulz's spelling for some reason.)
Anyhoo, I'm stressed. But one of the things other than pharmaceuticals that calms me is looking at Christmas lights. I'm sure I'll be checking out some of the displays mentioned last week in fellow World scribe
Nour Habib's story. The lights at Rhema are amazing, and I always stroll through Utica Square multiple times each year, whether I'm shopping or not.
But there's something surprisingly calming to me about driving or, better still, riding shotgun around town looking at residential light displays. You'd think all the blinking, bright-shiny objects would be like sticking an adrenaline needle into my ADD-stricken heart. Instead, it's a fun diversion.
Part of it's probably because I remember Mom and Dad driving back from church on Wednesday or Sunday nights in December, going up and down some of the streets that had themes -- like a road with lit candy canes out front, another with Christmas trees, and another with life-sized Christmas cards. It was mesmerizing. I remember squinting my eyes sometimes, staring out the back-seat window of our early-'80s Caprice Classic so the colors would expand and blur together. Not sure why I did that. I also liked sucking on uncooked pasta noodles, so there's some added perspective.
So when you're feeling all bah-humbuggered, venture out and stare at the lights. Just don't do that squinty thing if you're behind the wheel.
Peace, love and brightly blinking objects ... XOXO
