Leave the lights on

I saw “The Cloudiest Time of the Year” as a heading in today’s paper. Yes, from now on through about the end of March we have mostly clouds and we truly give thanks when the sun is seen shining brightly such as we’ve had over the last few days.

Tradition demands that public Christmas lights be largely removed right after January 1. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all could break tradition this year when times are so gloomy for so many people and leave the holiday lights glowing brightly until even the end of February? When I’m out after dark it is SO wonderful to see bright lights everywhere.

I string colored lights in my apartment in the fall when the cloudy season starts and don’t take them down until the days start getting longer and there is more sunshine. When just about everything I once enjoyed doing is shut down, colored lights are indeed a life-saver. I hope many will give this careful consideration and keep the holiday cheer going long after the season ends.

Thomas E. Durst

Spokane