A holiday lights tour before work

It’s a little before 6 a.m. when the downtown bound No. 43 bus pulls away from the stop and lumbers west on 37th.

The four or five passengers near me are looking at their phones. But outside the bus windows, a holiday lights show silently beckons.

It’s still dark out, so you can see the modest glow of Christmas as we meander down the South Hill and roll by strings of lights above garages and over front porches.

Maybe the people who live in these homes put them up because their parents used to do that. Or perhaps it is for their children or grandchildren.

Or maybe they’re making a simple statement: This is supposed to be a special time of year.

The bus arrives downtown and riders start to look up from their phones. The to-do lists await.

The light show will be there for them again tomorrow morning.