Lighten and Brighten Places

I am a light-lover (officially a heliophile). I love morning’s first light, dawn’s early light, daylight, twilight, moonlight, starlight, candlelight, skylights, outdoor lamplights, and firelight. I love the unexpected surprise of being delighted, the satisfaction of being enlightened, surrounding myself with lighthearted people, being with those who light up my life, and learning to take myself lightly (not always successful there). I love the brilliance of words like dazzle, gleam, glow, glitter, luminescent, lustrous, scintillate, shine, shimmer, sparkle, twinkle . . . Perhaps you do, too?

In spite of the fact that the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere brings us the year’s shortest days of daylight, it makes sense that December is Lighten and Brighten Month, because both its religious and secular celebrations offer a rich abundance of candlelight and colorful electric lights on trees and rooftops everywhere. While they don’t provide much heat, they warm our hearts. I love it all, but I am especially impressed with folks who aim for and accomplish the spectacular.

For those willing to brave temperatures far below freezing, there are few things more amazing than China’s enormous, world-famous annual Harbin Ice Festival, which usually opens on December 25th and runs through mid-February. Its massive ice sculptures, some of which replicate real multi-story buildings, are redesigned and rebuilt every year using blocks of ice that are lit for stunning nighttime views. It now includes international competitors and as many as 100 separate creations that attract 18 million bundled visitors each year. The photo montage shown here is from this video, and you can learn more about it here. Now that will make your eyes light up!

This post is an edited excerpt from yesterday’s e-newsletter, Wait Lifters – uplifting content for every kind of downtime.? If you enjoyed it, please share it.

Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the creator and CEO of Wiser Now, Inc., dedicated to fostering wellbeing in people of all ages. Known for her practical and lighthearted approach, she is the author of multiple books and newsletters, dozens of training courses and webinars, and hundreds of trivia quizzes, word, games, and discussion exercises. Check out the many offerings of her Wiser Now, Inc. website, her CreatingDelight.com ?website (focused on creating fun and goodwill) and her Caregiving website?(focused on both givers and receivers). She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].?