this weekend, we're putting the christmas stuff up early. this is always a bit of a process, and if we can get through it unscathed (putting the tree up is about the only time my partner and i can get snippy with each other), we're good until next year. the tree takes a couple of hours to do right, and then there's a few decorations around the house. nothing big. but enough, and with the timer on the tree, having the light come on at 4:30 helps with the crushing winter darkness.
it helps, and given everything, isn't that enough? who knows what the world's going to look like the next few years. meaner, smaller, more uncertain. in the face of this, why not put up a pretty tree? why not let it shine in the dark.