Be Merry and Bright with Lightlz

Welcome to our “Jolt of Joy” newsletter. Last week, Boodlz shared ways to practice meditation. We hope that you took some time to meditate. The holiday Joyblz! are now in the spotlight until the end of December. I created these Joyblz! to honor memories and traditions from the holidays since I was a child. This week Lightlz is featured and reminds me of the magic and JOY of holiday lights. So, for a little extra sparkle, let’s be merry and bright with Lightlz!

One of the first things I remember most when it comes to the holiday season is lights. For me, it’s very nostalgic and connects me to my childhood. Some of my fondest memories are driving through neighborhoods to see the festive lights, going to view beautiful light displays at different venues, and watching my Dad precisely hang the colorful lights on our Christmas tree. I have a special place in my heart for those old-fashioned over-sized Christmas bulb strands with individual screw-in sockets. It was this memory that inspired me to create Lightlz and Li’l Lightlz, shown above.

Continue reading to view a spectacular light show, learn more about my memories and share some of yours…

Christmas Tree Lights

My Dad was officially in charge of putting the lights on the tree. I enJOYed helping him untangle the zillions of lights which stretched from one end of the room to the other. With strands of multi-colored lights draped over him, he would circle the tree, careful not to leave any empty spaces. He decorated with such precision. I loved the large over-sized light bulbs that inspired my drawing of Lightlz. The best part was that if one light went out, they really all did go out! The following comic perfectly makes fun of this:

I remember getting the job of screwing in bulb after bulb trying to find the one that was out! It was like a fun scavenger hunt and my Dad would cheer me on. Our Christmas trees were amazing! As a young girl, I would just sit and admire the brightly colored lights on our tree. In our darkened living room, the glow from the lights made me feel so joy-full and at peace. I still get that feeling every Christmas when I look at the lights on our tree.

Neighborhood Lights

I have such wonderful memories of driving around to see the neighborhood lights. It was a tradition when I was young girl. My family and I would put on our pajamas and coats, and then pile into the station wagon. We’d drive to neighborhoods, near and far, listening to Christmas songs on the radio, with our eyes glued to the window. It was so much fun seeing who had the brightest, twinkling lights and whose displays were the most creative. Some houses were decorated with thousands of lights and reminded me of this scene from National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” movie.

This weekend, we hung multi-colored lights on our house and on all the trees in the yard. We’ve already had lots of neighbors walk by and tell us that the sparkling lights brought them so much JOY!

Light Displays

There really is just something about lights that truly are magical! I also have lots of memories of going to see different light displays. One of my favorites is the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s in Center City, Philadelphia. It’s a holiday tradition that dates back more than half a century. The show has more than 100,000 colorful lights and is accompanied by live music from the famous Wanamaker Organ. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Macy’s has produced a virtual show that you can watch here:

Here’s your joy-full activity for the week

Be merry and bright with Lightlz! Take the time to go and see beautiful light displays in your neighborhood or put up some of your own colorful lights. Tis’ the season to be jolly!  

Lightlz and I would love to hear about any of your childhood memories of holiday lights. Please leave your comments and joy-full responses below.

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