Op/Ed: Holiday lights bring peace and joy across the generations
As violent events threaten the globe, polarization increases in our country, and personal losses abound, the world can be a dark place.
Yet December brings holidays that focus on bringing light into the world. Hannukkah, the Festival of Lights, is from Dec. 7-15, when Jewish people celebrate the miracle of light for eight nights. The holiday commemorates the victory of Jewish freedom fighters over the Maccabees in 139 BCE.
Non-religious people celebrate the winter solstice and the return of more light to the world. The winter solstice is Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. Days will lengthen until the longest day of the year on the summer solstice.
For Christians, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day represent the birth of Jesus Christ, often referred to as the light of the world. Three wise men, the Magi, followed a star in the eastern sky, lighting the way to his humble birthplace in Bethlehem.
To end the year, people worldwide create light displays in the sky with fireworks and now drone lights. How amazing to see the light from the darkness. While metro Indianapolis has many wonderful light displays, within a few hours, there are many other wonderful examples. After you've taken the family to Monument Circle, the Indianapolis Zoo, and Newfields, you can check out what readers recommended.
- Yvonne Ransel, Wellfield Botanic Garden Holiday Lights, Elkhart
- Juli Metzger, Walkway of Lights, Matter Park, Marion
- Anne Born, Gift of Lights, Potawatomi Zoo, South Bend
- Mark Records, A Merry Prairie Holiday, Conner Prairie, Fishers
- Ann Gard, Walk Through Christmas Tyme, Lowell
- Steven Mundy, Lights of Joy, Shipshewana
- Darci Nestel Kessie, Village of Winona and Center Lake display, Warsaw
- Angie Klink, TPA Park, Frankfort
- Donya Lester, The Magic of Christmas in Elwood, Elwood
And two that are special to me: Ritzi's Fantasy of Lights in Garvin Park in Evansville. You can ride a carriage through the park and enjoy music while seeing the lights, and the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center of Southwestern Indiana benefits.
Downtown Fort Wayne. My husband and I had our first real date (after being friends for five years) in December 1982. On a snowy December evening, we walked around to see the iconic 50-foot Santa and his reindeer on the (then) Fort Wayne National Bank Building.
I hope that you find the light in the darkness. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas.
Amy Abbott is a freelance writer in southern Indiana.