In the beginning, there was just Mary. As Christmas lawn decorations go, Mary is precious. It’s because she’s a hand-me-down, a gift from Amy’s grandmother. The kids love Mary, a deer with her multi-light display. She’s a holiday institution at the Dixon house.
This year, someone decided that Mary was lonely. It all started about a week ago, when we woke up one morning to a narwhal plugged in out front. Yes, a narwhal. We shook our heads with wonder, named her Nelly, and wracked our brains about who our mystery Santa might be.
Since then, Mary and Nelly have been joined by yet more friends. First someone gave Mary a pen of candy cane fencing. Then, we got a Candy Cane Lane street sign. Next, I was reading a book to our littlest Dixons one night when, all of a sudden, Lily noticed flashing red and green dots on the ceiling. We rushed out front, thinking that perhaps we would find a chorus of laser-pointing neighbors out front. Instead, we found one of those projection light display units.
Christmas eve eve brought us a flamingo, a real Christmas tree, and an inflatable weiner dog. Christmas morning, we woke up to lights in our bushes, lights along our pathways, bells on our doorknob, and bows all over our garage door.
I’ll be honest. At first, the whole thing freaked me out. The idea that renegade neighbors, or co-workers, or kids’ friends, or whoever, were setting up stuff in our front yard in the dead of night made me anxious. The kids and I contemplated video surveillance, lookouts by shifts, or a stakeout in the van out front.
But I’ve come around. The rapturous looks on the kids’ faces each morning have helped with that. But it’s become fun for us parents as well. Because someone cares about our family. And they’re expressing that care in a fun and tangible way. We're the beneficiaries of someone's generosity. And this has made our Christmas wonderful.
Let’s face it. 2017 hasn’t been easy. The national news has been full of drama and angst, and we’ve had our share within the walls of our home. As a family, we’ve hit the Christmas break weary, physically and emotionally.
Because of this, we are choosing to receive the beautiful generosity from our unknown benefactor(s) with joy. I’m thinking the world needs more renegades out there decorating lawns, not less.
So, to whoever you are: a hearty thank you from the Dixon family. You’ve made our Christmas better. You’ve made it memorable. You’ve brought us joy.
Thank you. And Merry Christmas!
