Only a few years ago the houses on every street used to be lit with Christmas lights setting the Christmas mood for everyone. Street lights weren’t even needed due to the massive amounts of lights people had decorating their houses. All sorts of different colors shined down on the snow and reflected off cars. It was a winter wonderland. Not only did lights set off the Christmas season but also lawn decorations. Blow up snowmen, Santas and Christmas trees were just a few of the lawn decorations people had set up. Certain houses would spend a ton of money on their decorations and fill every part of their yard with some sort of decoration. Families used to take drives a few days before Christmas just to take a look at the houses dressed up in their lights. Over the past few years the number of houses adorned in lights has gone down dramatically. Now streets are lucky to have one or two houses with lights on them. It’s not like it used to be; what once involved everyone is now something in which only a few participate. Many families used to put up lights the weekend after Thanksgiving every year as a family tradition; it was a great way to start off the Christmas holiday season. This year I wouldn’t be surprised if not even half the families that used to have that tradition are even putting up lights! Driving around at night in the month of December isn’t what it used to be unless you pass a house that still goes all out on decorating their house, but those are few and far between. Is it because people are too lazy or is it because they really just don’t see the need of putting them up? Whatever it is, hopefully it will change and lights will start to be put up again in the coming years. I asked Josh Moore, a senior who loves Christmas time his thoughts on the lack of Christmas lights this year. He said, “I noticed that not only this year but also last year – it’s very sad. As a kid I loved seeing all the lights, it really does give you that Christmas feeling.” I then asked him why he thinks it has been happening and he said, “I can’t think of a reason why people don’t do it anymore other than it has gotten to be too much of a hassle for our lazy society.” Maybe one day the spirit of putting up exterior Christmas lights will come back. I can’t wait for the days when you can drive down the streets with every house aglow again.