It seems like just yesterday people were mocking their neighbors for putting up their Christmas lights before Thanksgiving. (For the record, I was that neighbor.) And yet, here we are — barely four months into 2020 — and the world has suddenly turned into a straight-up dumpster fire. Panic over the spreading coronavirus has left us all wracked with fear about what's to come, and looking for silver linings and small joys literally anywhere we can find them. For some, that apparently means dragging out Christmas lights again and lighting up the whole house like it's December.
It all started Sunday, when Twitter user Lane Grindle fired off a tweet that got people thinking ...
"What if we all put our Christmas lights back up?" he wrote. "Then we could get in the car and drive around and look at them. That seems like a fair social distancing activity."
Grindle wrote the tweet less than a week after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic and on the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged Americans not to attend social events in groups larger than 50.
The following day, President Trump took things one step further, asking that Americans gather in groups no more than 10. And one by one, schools in 20 different states began to close their doors for the next month — or longer.
Just as we all began retreating indoors, many people began to worry about the toll it might take on our mental health.
"Can we discuss how much of a potential impact self-isolation and social distancing is going to have on folks' mental health?" one user tweeted. "I'm on day 4 and this is no joke. There are people without family to look after them, without a safety net. How do we make sure everyone is okay?"
Grindle's Christmas lights idea, albeit simple, caught on across Twitter, where people thought it was just the thing to brighten up this dark time.
"Great idea!" tweeted one user.
"I think I'll put mine up tomorrow," tweeted another. "I could use some cheer around the house."
But apparently, Grindle wasn't the only one who had the idea.
"A friend just shared that an elderly neighbor came to her house and asked her husband to turn on the Christmas lights because there's so much darkness and scariness now," Twitter user Lisa St. Regis shared. "So, there are bright dancing Christmas lights now on in their neighborhood."
"My mom thinks people should start putting up Christmas lights in their windows," wrote one user.
" … to remind each other that there is still life & light while we #StayTheFHome," the person added. "I think she’s on to something."
There's actually some evidence to back up this theory.
According to one 2017 study, decorating early for Christmas has actually been proven to make people happier.
Granted, the "study" was conducted by the British website Unilad, and not exactly a team of seasoned researchers. And when they said "early," they likely meant decorating a few weeks early — not a whole nine months early.
Still, the logic is much the same. Christmas lights just do something for the soul. They literally lighten up the darkness and give us something to look forward to. Whether they're sprucing up our own house or the rest of the block, they make things merry and bright.
Right now, the world could sure use some brightness.
Honestly, even if it seems silly, what's the harm? You'll likely cheer yourself up a little while you're stuck inside, self-isolating. And chances are, you'll cheer up your neighbor, too, who's stuck in the house with nowhere to go.
Mounting anxiety over the spread of the coronavirus is real and unfortunately inescapable. But whatever we can do to ease our minds will be worth it. Even if that means turning back (or fast-forwarding?) the calendar to December.
