Lighted Luminaries for Christmas

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

20 Dec 2008 06:21 PM

Today while driving back from a long, hard day of shopping, we passed through a neighborhood and then had to double back. Each year, the entire neighborhood, which includes many cross-streets get together to put on a show that symbolizes the light of Christ through white paper bag luminaries.

This neighborhood puts up the luminaries every year, and they span very far. I confess that we turned off our headlights and drove very slowly by. We had the feeling that we were traveling down a lighted Christmas runway, as the lights went off into the distance. The Christmas decorating around the homes also were delightful to see as well.

As we went along, we saw that there were some homes where the luminaries were unlit. We wondered if they didn't celebrate the season, if older people lived there and couldn't bend to light them, or if there was no one home.

A few more streets down, we spotted a woman who was lighting a few stray luminaries, and we asked about how it all worked. We figured that the town must have organized it, but the reality was much simpler than that. One neighbor once decided it would be nice to light the neighborhood with luminaries for one night a year, and the rest became tradition.

These days, one person from each street collects a donation of $5 from each household. This person then uses the money to buy the bags, the sand and the candles. All of the neighbors throughout the neighborhood work together to make sure every house is lit, even if the neighbors can't do it themselves.

What a wonderful display of community this neighborhood shows. It is inspiring. Perhaps next year, I will send our a letter to the neighbors on our street to see this is something they would like to do. If so, it may just become a holiday tradition.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now managing relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Related Articles:

The Home Owner's New Year's Resolutions

Home for the Holidays

YouTube Christmas House Tours

Real or Fake Debate

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger