12 Essays of Christmas, Day 4: The lights, the lights

"A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory,

 like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." 

- Garrison Keillor

AUBURN, Maine - We choose one huge shrub on the front lawn and deck the barren branches with a variety of lights each Christmas.

We believe less is more and less is better - and cheaper.

Putting up Christmas lights is a 10-minute task for us. We are minimalists, and this short-and-sweet chore cuts down on profanity, frustration and stress, as I lovingly adorn our shrub with yuletide cheer.

Energy costs should be considered before putting your house on the map with a tacky lighting display that will stop traffic and be seen from the sky by a B-52 on a nighttime bombing raid.

We all marvel at homes that cause light pollution and wonder if the homeowners have deep pockets to fund lighting for 30 days out of the year.

Some Americans will spend hours installing lighting displays and paying electricians to trip the light fantastic and prevent a house from being ravaged by a conflagration that will also be seen from miles away.

A handful of elaborate lighting displays around Lewiston-Auburn demonstrate class, while others are tasteless reminders of velvet paintings of Elvis that are sold at flea markets for $5.

We also keep it low key inside our home when it comes to lighting. Our tree features small lights with a couple of modest stars on top.

Our fake tree, the impostor, lights up the back porch.

But this year, our kitchen is illuminated by a series of small porcelain towns with little figurines. The designs of the churches, theater and little homes are intricate and fill the kitchen with Christmas spirit.

The precious sets were given to us by a good friend. We gladly accepted them, and Anthony and I spent a couple of hours piecing several displays together.

Now little villages and a movie theater make our kitchen more cozy.

But if the spirit moves you and you are a person with unlimited wealth, then knock your self out and turn your property into a 1980s disco.

Sure, we'll stop by and ooh and aah from our car as we move on to the next holiday spectacle.