Christmas lights..

A neighborhood’s Christmas decorations can tell you a good deal about that neighborhood,  according to a recent study.  That’s something I think most of us grasp instinctively,  and it probably goes back to our earliest ancestors  looking for clues to judge the danger in approaching a new group of hominids.

I like Christmas,  but I don’t bother with much decoration  —   just  a homemade wreath on the front door to greet visitors.    I didn’t dare put up a tree inside this year  —  Big Girl in her extreme exuberance would demolish it without intending any harm.   She is very pretty,  and can be quite companionable,  but she is also independent-minded and stubborn,  necessary traits I suppose for fearing nothing,  all of which makes her a splendid guard dog.

My true  decorations are the bright red berries on the hollies near the house,  and the fresh greens of the pines and cedars and native shrubs in the woods.  The ornaments are the bright red cardinals,  blue jays,  chickadees and wrens who populate the property,  along with red-tailed hawks and barn owls.   And I mustn’t forget the cotton-tailed rabbits,  the squirrels and fox and deer,  none of which are averse to an early morning or late evening reconnoiter to see if I have thrown out anything tasty.