Light-Up

I grew up on the border between suburbia and the country. My grandparents built in a new subdivision on the extreme Northern edge of San Antonio in the early 60's, in what had been ranchland and cotton fields. But it was close to Randolph AFB, which is where my grandparents would get their care and services during their twilight years. And by that I mean their dotage, not when they turned into vampires, which they did not do. So far as I know.
   In order to draw prospective residents so far out of town, the city council - WWII veterans all - decided to host a Christmas light-up. The idea was to festoon the town in bright lights and maybe the people who came out would decide to buy a half acre and become residents. It worked, the town grew. Later on my parents bought a house a block away from my grandparents. And by the time I was in my early 20's San Antonio had grown up to touch Windcrest, our small incorporated city, and the cow pastures and cotton fields gave way to more tract homes and strip malls. So maybe the founders' idea worked just a bit too well.
   During my childhood - what I call the 'indentured servant years' - I created Christmas for my parents and grandparents, I put out plywood elves and big plastic Santas, I attached lights to bushes and trees, I hung from the eaves to string lights from the house and set timers to make it all come together seamlessly. Mostly seamlessly. The neighbors did the same and for as long as can remember back the entire community participated, even goig so far as to make the water tower look like a giant candle. The effort was well worth it, as Windcrest became well-known for its Christmas lights. As I became old enough to drive the sheer number of people became a nuisance, as it took three times as long to get around than it did any other time of year because of the gawkers.
   But the years wore on. The original residents, those retirees who had built the town, died off. The light-up tradition died with them. I watched as slowly the Windcrest Christmas tradition became block after block of dark houses.
   This year it's different. There are cars stretching down the block, there are traffic jams and it's difficult for emergency vehicles to get by. Just like old times. It could be that people my age, those who remember the old times, have bought houses here, it could be the City Council is trying harder to make it a happening, it could be that hard times have made people appreciate once again the simple pleasures of driving around to look at Christmas decorations. The reason doesn't matter to me. The people are back, lots of them, and it's good to have my suburban streets clogged with gawkers once again.
   Merry Christmas, families in cars and trucks, enjoy the lights and come back next year. There are no more open lots for you to pick to build your 1960's suburban dream home, but we like you here anyway. Take the tradition back with you wherever you're from and pass it on. Maybe we can take this sucker global.