Sara Sandstrom, Gilpin County. Having bonfires and lighting candles to celebrate the Winter Solstice has been used in Scandinavian and Germanic cultures for centuries. It was a way to celebrate the coming of the sun. Jewish, Christian and pagan traditions all have candles and light as a significant part of their winter celebrations. Light is a sign of hope for so many around the world. 

Putting candles on trees with a metal clip or melted wax became a Christmas tradition. When electric lights were invented and made safe more and more people started to decorate their trees with a string of lights. A tradition that today can be extravagant or simple. 

Recently, I drove south on Highway 119 on a snowy night. As the road curved into Black Hawk I was met with an explosion of color and light. What a beautiful winter display of illumination! I stopped and walked through the lighted winter wonderland. Feeling so festive I did not even notice my freezing fingers until I got back in the car. 

As I drove into Central City, I was welcomed by a house glowing with Holiday lights. Then, I saw another and another. 

I pulled over on Eureka Street and decided to walk a bit as the snow softly fell around me. I love walking among the old buildings of Central City. There were a few storefront windows with decorated Christmas trees. As I was admiring them bells rang from one of the historical churches in Central City and put a Christmas song in my heart. It was a beautiful and peaceful moment as I stood alone on the street taking in the warmth of the lights and decorations.  

I peeked into the windows further hoping that I could open the door into a scene from a Victorian Era Christmas. A scene that possibly happened in this very place.

I would see mistletoe hanging and Christmas cards displayed. I would hear someone reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I would smell and see a roast goose, plum pudding, mince pie and mulled wine ready to be consumed on a lavishly decorated table. I would take in the warmth of the candles and the smell of the greenery hanging over the doorways and on the fireplace mantel. As I stepped back out on Eureka Street, I would hear carolers singing across the street outside the Central City Opera House.  

I took a deep breath as my vision of a past era ended when a truck roared up the street instead of a mule slowly pulling a wagon as it would have been in the late 1870’s. 

I turned and felt the snowflakes sting and then melt on my face. I thought about how thankful I am for the moment that I can be lost in my own thoughts. I am thankful that Holiday lights have a way of making us feel warm, cozy and comforted. Holiday lights spread joy during a bleak cold winter’s night. 

Light a candle, put up a string of lights and take a drive around the Peak to Peak region to enjoy the Holiday lights.  

(Originally published in the December 17, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)