Lights and Cheers!

Come December - the merry-making season starts. It is a wonderful season of lights and cheers. 

We ushered in the season with the Karthigai Deepam - the most significant festival of lights celebrated in our home with delicious eats like Appam and Pori Urundai (a sweet ball made with puffed rice and jaggery). Traditionally, we have always used oil lamps for Karthigai Deepam - not electric lights. The functioning of oil lamp has a spiritual significance. The wick in the lamp symbolizes our ego and the oil denotes what is responsible for the ego to thrive. The flame resembling the spiritual knowledge has the capacity to diminish our ego.

Travelling through the streets of Columbus, Ohio, I caught this colorful picture from my car.

My five-year old grandson assembled the Christmas tree and clapped when the lights were switched on.

I love the holiday season - especially the colorful decorations of lights spreading cheers all around! As I drive on the Lake Cook road, I am delighted to see beautifully decorated trees with strings of lights wrapped around them. There are homes decorated with colored lights that blink on and off. Some are strobing lights that move gracefully across the home.  

One of Chicago's biggest and brightest holiday traditions is the Lights Festival parade. This year, it was the 25th Anniversary of this wonderful festival. The Lights Festival officially kick off the celebrations of the winter holidays and usher in the shopping season. Snow or no snow, people brave the cold to venture out and enjoy the lights.

Life shines where there is light. Let us usher in the New Year with bright lights spreading cheers all around us.

Happy New Year to all!