Post by FOA Team

Like an unavoidable storm that looms fiercely, causing great anxiety before eventually dissipating, Christmas acts similarly.

We’ll stress out and run ourselves ragged but ultimately that day with our loved one(s) diffuses our worries, leaving only Christmas dinner on our list of concerns. And certainly, the inherent décor of Yule encourages a cheerful feeling.

Christmas enthusiasts typically distinguish the weeks that precede their holiday with a variety of home embellishments. Even those of limited means will come up with something, like lights outlining the window or a wreath on the door. Sharing the spirit with the community by decorating the exteriors of homes is the result of evolving tradition.

Whether we appreciate it or not, most of us have witnessed this annual phenomenon that far predates our own births. For centuries throughout North and South America, Australia, and Europe, the Christmas season has inspired countless holiday home concepts. Upon front lawns far and wide stand facsimiles of Santa himself, reindeer, snowmen, giant candy canes and other larger-than-life manifestations of Yuletide imagery, often animated by technology.

Certainly, the iconic Christmas tree has seen its own evolution, but the classic vision of a dressed up pointy fir remains the same. It, too, is common on lawns – growing naturally and permanent, or as life-like synthetics or of cartoonish plastic varieties. And it was the Christian Saint Francis who assembled the first nativity scene of figurines in central Italy in the 1200’s. Certainly, other miniature versions have been reproduced and displayed outdoors in front of countless homes since, helping to make their exteriors a focal point of artistic holiday expression.

On the extreme end are the suburban Joes who make a hobby out of going ‘all-out’, decorating so fully it creates a fun sense of competition with neighbors. Your family may make a custom of taking a stroll around the neighborhood to admire and compare the ingenuity of each transformed home.

It’s the spirit of a holiday that transcends its “true meaning” and brings us together in the closest harmony we experience all year. As of this writing, the love of Christmas still overwhelmingly defeats growing cynicism and there remains joy to be found in decorating our homes.