An old children’s song popped into my head Saturday afternoon when I wandered, all old and cranky, onto a field that exploded into an unexpected thrill of color and sound.
Boom! Boom! Ain’t it great to be crazy?
I’d barged onto the field to ask a man I saw standing there where I might find the Town of Gillett Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.
“Well, we don’t really have a main tree,” he said.
No tree?
“Let’s go home,” I said to my husband, resigned to spend the evening stewing because sometimes the holiday season can be difficult to negotiate and I’d had a hard week.
I looked back toward the field briefly when the man I’d spoken to flipped an electrical switch and lit a very nice Christmas display that stretched all across Zippel Park. I applauded politely, and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the sky above me lit up with a fireworks display so brilliant I felt like I could reach out and touch it.
Boom! Boom! Ain’t it great to be just like us.
Enchanted, I stood there with my arm outstretched like a little kid on the Fourth of July. One after another, the fireworks kept coming and the whole park seemed awash in brilliant color. Gold! Silver! Green! Red! I danced a little and felt my bad mood drift away like those tails of smoke from the firecrackers.
Be silly and foolish the whole day through!
I remembered a summer a long time ago when my children and I laid on a baseball diamond and watched a fireworks display erupt so close above our heads I worried someone might get burned. Thrilled, we cheered each burst of color and watched it trail off into the dark sky. It stands as my favorite of all the wonderful fireworks displays I’ve seen.
Saturday night in Gillett was that cool.
Boom! Boom! Ain’t it great to be crazy!
The symbolism of that holiday fireworks display, in which a whole town full of people looked to the sky for a light to lead them into the Christmas season, warmed my heart. Sometimes, the holiday season can be especially challenging as we negotiate real life challenges in the face of all that holiday cheer. I am grateful to the town Gillett for reminding me to look up to see the real magic of the season.
Boom! Boom! ain’t it great to be.
Laura,
All I can say is WOW!
“Way down south where there’s ice and snow
there lived a penguin who’s name was Joe.
He got so tired of Black & White
He wore Pink Slacks to the dance last night.
Boom Boom…”
Ain’t it great? 😂😂😂🐧
Would rather be in a small town for Christmas. You captured why….