Sparkling Holiday Lights
A few years ago I traveled by freighter up the coast of Norway, just after Christmas, in pursuit of the ‘Aurora borealis’ or the Northern Lights. We left from Bergen, on the southwestern coast, and eventually disembarked in Kirkenes a town in the far northeastern corner of Norway. During the winter northern Norway is in almost complete darkness for several months. Our ship pulled into port in the late morning when the sky was dark gray and by 1:00 p.m., just as we were having lunch, the sky turned pitch black.
I was thinking about being in Norway because after the clocks have been changed for daylight savings time, and as we move into December, the New Hampshire sky is also black in the late afternoon.
“It gets dark so early” is something I hear often in December, before the Winter solstice. Perhaps this is one reason holiday lights bring so much joy. I was downtown in Laconia as they were stringing the lights around the large tree that stands over Veteran’s Square and watched as the branches came alive and sparkled in the darkness. The tree assumed an elegant and majestic stance.
It is always part of our Christmas Eve tradition to drive around Laconia and observe the many decorated houses. “Oh look over there, isn’t’ that beautiful.” I try and look beyond the outside lights and see if I can just glimpse a Christmas tree and a glow from within through the windows.
Candles play a significant role in Christmas and Hanukkah traditions. For Christians there is the Advent Wreath, which includes candles for the four Sundays in December. The first candle is lit on the first Sunday and represents repentance. On the next Sunday two candles are lit and symbolize the light that will come into the world from the birth of Christ. The third Sunday the candles are lit for rejoicing. All of the candles are lit on the fourth Sunday giving off a radiance that fills the room.
If you are Jewish there is a menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum, that is lit each evening during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah. The ninth candle is the one that is used each evening to light the other candles. The lighting of the Menorah symbolizes chasing away forces of darkness, with light.
Candles also play a role on Buddhist alters. The glow from the candle is said to represent wisdom. At the time of a death the glow from the candles help the person who has died ascend into heaven and achieve eventual rebirth.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday as I began my holiday shopping I stopped by the Salvation Army on Union Avenue to collect the wish of a child for a Christmas gift through the Angel Tree Wish program. The thought of bringing happiness through a “My Life Doll” to a seven-year-old girl brought me almost as much joy as I hope it will bring to her on Christmas morning. You can be a angel too by stopping by the Salvation Army or contacting Becky Guyer at [email protected].
The Northern Lights can sometimes be seen from New Hampshire. If you have experienced them you know that the darkness is filled with rippling waves of colored light dancing through the sky. We wouldn’t have the pleasure of experiencing the exquisite lights of the holidays and often in nature without the darkness of the winter evenings. Soon enough the days will lengthen and the seasons will shift once again.