Holiday Lighting: More the Better

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 25, 2024

“As Christmas and Hanukkah Coincide, Lights Can Inspire All,” writes Eli Federman in the Los Angeles Times (December 17, 2024). He explains:

Holiday lights have more than aesthetic benefits, signaling community and social connection. Lights can boost mood, reduce stress and create warmth, especially during the dark winter months. Holiday lights are more than decorations; they’re a means of emotional well-being.

Lose the darkness, he concludes, “it’s time to shine.”

Scrooges

Yes, more lighting the better. Bah Humbug to the deep ecologists and climate busybodies who distain turning darkness into beauty. Three examples:

With the holiday season, the intensity of light pollution only increases…. Ideally, there would be a public outcry against bigger causes of light pollution, such as street lamps and tall buildings. But until that happens, the simplest thing that one can do is to not put up any Christmas or Hanukkah lights.

 – Heidi Ward, “Holidays & Light Pollution,” United Green Alliance

“Do you love those displays of Christmas (or Hannukah or Kwanza or …) lights? Are you awed by those so impassioned that they string up 1000s of lights in awesome displays worthy of a city center? I once did…. But … no longer…. I’ve reached the point of feeling like a Scrooge; feeling outrage over the tons of C02 going into the atmosphere via neighbors’ 10,000 light displays rather than feeling ‘joyous’.”

– A. Siegel, “Christmas Lights–Scrooge or Savior?” HuffPost

“During each year’s holiday season, lights are strung everywhere, in the city and in millions of homes. Though the lights are a beautiful sight and symbol of Christmas, many Americans don’t realize that the holiday lights (and lighting in general) have a negative impact on the environment as well as on their own health.”

 – Angeli Mittal, “Tra-La-Light: Holiday Lighting to Health Declining,” Green Schools Alliance

Enough of that. Climate alarmism is on the wane as 2025 beacons. So enjoy the holiday celebrations and special lighting that comes with it!