Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer wasn’t remembered for his neutral coat. In the wake of the beige mom epidemic, holding on to the nostalgia of multi-colored Christmas lights is necessary to keep the childhood magic alive.
I love the soft gold glow from candlelight on a silent night, and I’m always dreaming of a White Christmas, but adding a little pop of incandescent color will always bring joy to kids from 1 to 92.
When I say colorful Christmas lights, I don’t mean the harsh blue-hued LED lights, I mean the old-school string of soft pink, blue, yellow, red, green and orange lights that dimly light up the living room and all through the house with not a creature stirring, not even a mouse.
Sure, the lights would get a little hot to the touch if they were left on for too long, but what’s Christmas without a fire hazard or two?
You can’t tell me the idea of lying under the tree on a soft tree skirt and staring up at the seemingly endless combinations of colors doesn’t sound like it could heal part of your inner child.
Decorating the tree with my mom and hanging up the pink and purple decorations she collected to match her purple tree skirt will always be fond memories when winter gets colder. I don’t even like pink and purple, but I hope she passes those decorations on to me one day.
Maybe my dad’s tree could get a little tacky, but the years of homemade decorations surrounded by bright lights and colorful tinsel provides a glimpse into all our childhoods, and I find that to be special.
It’s all about accent colors. Why drown out the natural greenery of a Christmas pine with bright white fluorescence when you could accentuate the deep green instead? Technicolor was revolutionary for a reason.
White lights are only perfect when you need to pretend your life is as perfectly pristine, clean and elegant as your decor for your relatives. It really adds to the ambiance of holiday dinner diatribes, and the reminder of how the world has grown less colorful with age.
Adulthood is dreary enough, so why not bring some color and childlike wonder to your surroundings as a little treat after surviving Thanksgiving, finals and a few months of seasonal depression?
I’ve been a little harsh on my White Christmas light enjoyers, and I still think they’re delightful, but the warm glow of incandescent multi-colored lights will always send me back to happier, simpler times instead of stressful adult Christmas.
Colorful Lights picture by Alena Lavrova on Unsplash.