‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Quarantine:’ Americans Hang Christmas Lights as Symbol of Hope during Coronavirus Pandemic
Earlier this week, Lane Grindle, a play-by-play broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers, tweeted an interesting idea: “What if we all put our Christmas lights back up? Then we could get in the car and drive around and look at them. That seems like a fair social distancing activity.”
And it’s catching on, according to Fox News. People from around the world have rehung their lights to show hope during a dark time. One little boy from Cumberland, Rhode Island, had similar idea, according to CNN.
“Hey, dad, can we turn the Christmas lights on? I want something to look at.” The Griffin family put up their lights and tweeted a picture. Around the country, people responded with pictures of their own lights strung up on a tree outside.
“Times are dark and there’s light to be spread,” Holly Griffin, mom to the little boy, said. “Now more than ever is a time to be looking outside yourself. I think taking our mental health seriously is really important and just hearing bad news all the time can really make that multiply.”
Griffin hopes the lights will bring cheer to those discouraged or for first responders, grocery store workers, and pharmacists who cannot socially distance.
Don Lewis strung lights over his balcony and tweeted a picture of it. “We are joining the trend to put up our Christmas lights now. Pretending this year is almost over! Balcony lights are on, tree may go up next week!”
Brenda sparks decked out her whole house in Tennessee. “Sound On. Lights On. Hearts Lifted,” she tweeted. “We had our first confirmed case of #COVID19 in Cheatham County, Tennessee today. Our response is to be the light, and stay home! #FlattenTheCurve y’all. Have yourself a Merry Little Quarantine.”
As of Wednesday, more than 7,700 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the US.
Photo courtesy: James Wheeler/Unsplash
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine.
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