When I was about eight years old, there was only ONE thing that I wanted for Christmas. I told my mother exactly what it was… “Peter Pan Spray” (an aerosol can).  She seemed bemused, “Tell me about it.” I thought… “Surely you know what I am talking about!” “You simply remove the top; spray it over your shoulder on left and right side, and in those two spots wings will sprout, so I can fly!” I  thought that by telling her Santa heard it too; it would be a guaranteed delivery. I really wanted to be able to fly, not so much at high altitudes, just maybe 9-10 feet above ground. I did jump off the four-foot-high concrete block retaining wall, arms uplifted. Did I splat on the ground? Yes. Did I still want to fly? Yes. Christmas morning arrived, and I hurriedly looked for the only thing I wanted. I had even imagined the design on the spray can, green, with a picture of Peter Pan, who had been part bird in his youth. There were two doll clothes, maybe a sweater, and the quintessential pink jewelry box with a ballerina in the top, which twirled when the top was opened…. Darn… Not what I wanted. I asked my mother, “Wait a minute… where is my Peter Pan spray???”  She must have given some feeble sort of excuse… ‘Maybe when you are older’ …or ‘Santa picked something else for you’…or ‘It’s too dangerous.’ I didn’t buy it, but I eventually got over it.

Our 1950s live trees had heavy lead icicles, which really draped and hung on a tree, strung one by one, producing a shimmering effect. I loved them, but they were removed from the market in 1972  because of lead poisoning, replaced with mylar icicles. That tinsel was no good, fly-away, uncooperative. I remember frustratedly throwing handfuls of it at the tree; it just fell off.  There were colored lights, even ‘bubblers,’ mesmerizing to a kid.

Way out on 81 north, there were two brothers who lived across the highway from each other. The 1970s and 80s were the golden years of this event. Each family LOVED TO  ‘go big’ on the decorations; that meant a LOT of it AND life-size. Santa, reindeer, the Nativity, snowmen, carolers, giant snowflakes, large peppermints, gingerbread houses, huge gift boxes, etc. and it seemed to get bigger every year. Everything illuminated.  People would drive from the city out there just to take it in. Front yard, lawn, side yards, roof; decorations were everywhere with everything decorated within an inch of its life. Plus, all the curtains were open so you could see inside the houses, which were also ultra-decorated, with all lights on. One house had a gigantic M (surname) in lights on their roof. A rivalry arose… then a handshake deal was made. The brother with the largest electricity bill would win the competition; so... the losing brother would have to pay the electric bill of the winning brother, plus his own, an incentive to say the least! “This is gonna cost me, but I have to win!”  Their homes were normal-sized ranch homes, but the number of electric lights, decorations, inflatables, etc. was a super-sized amount, with more added each year. Since the goal was the highest utility bill, it all ran all the time. I imagined their electric meter wheel turning so fast that sparks flew!  Once you crested the hill…whooaa…the humming glow was visible from afar! You could probably see it from space! They were lucky that they did not burn down their homes, yet this tradition went on until, sadly, one brother died, hence no more competition.

About a mile from the Square, in a neighborhood of ranch homes, my brother was riding around when he came upon (what my family refers to as) “The House of Blue Lights.” Once he discovered it, he drove us all there to see it. There were no red, green, or white lights, the traditional Christmas colors, but only blue lights. This was in the 1960s, eons before ‘back the blue’  support for police. Large pointy blue bulbs, hundreds of them,  were outlining the roof, eaves, door, windows, bushes, chimney, sidewalk, everywhere on everything. It produced an out-of-this-world eerie aura. Why would anyone do such a thing? But…I just found out that blue is a Liturgical color in Advent, the season of preparation leading up to Christmas, symbolizing hope and expectation. Maybe that was their seasonal message? Remember the Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, riots, etc. A lot of bad things were going on; maybe it was their way of coping?

As a young adult, I hated the gaudy colored lights; only white lights seemed pretty, crisp, and elegant. The older I became, the more I wanted bright, happy, fun, artistic, enchanting colors of lights. In the 1990s, I would drive around at night, especially way out in the county, looking for the biggest, baddest, all-inclusive display to pick my favorite one or two. Then I would tuck an anonymous Christmas card in their mailbox with a $20bill and a note... “Just a tiny contribution to your utility bill. Thank you for putting a smile on my face. Merry Christmas.” Love, Carol

Carol Veliotis is a local columnist for The Covington News. She can be reached at carol.veliotis@gmail.com.