I love Christmas lights. I always have.
As a reward for my spectacular performance as a singing bell in the Sunday School Christmas program (or equally prestigious Christmas character), my parents would take us to see the incredible Christmas lights in downtown Denver. My favorite was the Civic Center where colorful spotlights illuminated a variety of Christmas displays –including the life-sized Nativity. (Depicting the birth of Christ was acceptable in those days.) Downtown streets were decorated to the hilt with lights, Christmas dioramas in the windows of May D&F, and a brilliant star shining atop the Denver Dry Goods building. The experience was magical.
Decades later I continue to long for the holiday magic of Christmas lighting displays. Ask my family. I usually convince someone to drive around Seattle in search of homes awash in lights. Sometimes I go so far as to pay admission and see professional displays!
This year we are spending the early days of December in the desert of Arizona. Finding Christmas lighting here is not hard; it is generally understood that because of the lack of evergreen trees or snow, it is necessary to create the illusion of Christmas through illumination. Flashing Santa hats adorn the tops of giant saguaro cactus and palm trees are wrapped in twinkling bulbs. The most obvious of these fantastical efforts are the drive-through Christmas light extravaganzas. After some debate regarding the merit of this experience, we finally sprung $35 for the privilege of driving through this manufactured winter wonderland. Occupying a couple of acres of desert land, lights are mounted on frames that at the flip of a switch appear as marching toy soldiers, Christmas trees, brightly wrapped packages, and peace symbols. The lights pulsate in the synchronized beat of music played on at 87.9 on our car’s FM radio dial.
Sadly, the quick fix drive-through experience extinguished my usual excitement for Christmas light shows. Maybe it was the predictability of mechanical contraptions, the abundance of pink and purple on the trees, 
or the unfamiliar hip-hop music—something made my heart grow cold. Most likely, it was the absence of anything resembling the true meaning of Christmas. Granted, there were peace symbols and “Co-Exist” displays, but nothing about the Prince of Peace.
I love Christmas lights, but the drive-through display reminded me that unless we celebrate the Light of the World come to us, the season loses its glow.
When He is present, all is calm – and all is bright.
written by Leona Bergstrom, Director, Re-Ignite
© Re-Ignite 2017
Graphic by Canstock. Photos by Bergstrom
