When I was little my dad decorated the bushes in front of our house with cascades of lights. I loved the funky snowballs best (very trendy in the '60's). They were large balls of light, liberally sprinkled with "ice" crystals that sparkled even in gray Illinois winters.
My favorite, however, were the multi-colored twinkle lights that graced our Christmas tree. If you're under a certain age, you might not know what I'm talking about. These weren't the little Italian light strands that flash on and off simultaneously, or blink in pre-set orders (all red, all green, altogether now!). They twinkled, like stars, randomly winking on and off, following no discernable pattern other than their own whim.
By far, the most magical moments of the holiday season were spent in my darkened living room, watching the symphony of light that played across the walls and ceilings. Red, green, blue, yellow-all the colors you expect, flickering with cheerful abandon, following some fickle arrangement only fireflies understood.
Even more delightful was the sound. It required silence to hear; a difficult thing to come by in this techno age where something is always humming, but so worth the effort. In the dark and quiet the lights made their own music, tinging softly every time they turned on and off. "Ting, ting...ting....ting, ting," they murmured, like a song heard from far away, it required stillness to be appreciated.
When my parents retired and moved, pruning their possessions along the way, I took the lights to trim my own tree and share with my sons. But the cords were bulky and the lights burned far too hot to be safe and, finally, last year, I threw them out.
I don't know if they still make twinkle lights, or if they do, if they are UL approved, or even affordable. Though it's true everything old is new again, it's usually more expensive the second time around. When I stroll the aisles of Christmas lights, surveying the amazing selection from which we can choose to create our own new holiday memories, I can't help to miss the simple, enchanted whimsy of lights that twinkle and "ting" in the night.