past the house at Margaret & Highland. You know the one. The house that was
visible from space. The East Side Hill is a neighborhood of small lots, but
what the house at Margaret & Highland lacked in space they made up in the
density of their lights. We would go past every year. Well, we didn't last
year. As kids get older they get busier. And busier in ways that don't involve
their parents. So we didn't go light peeping and we didn't notice that last
year the house was not visible from space.
But we did see the estate sale this past summer. My daughter and I ventured
down Margaret and saw cars parked at the intersection. We saw the sign as we
passed, and the holiday figures displayed on the lawn. I turned around to
verify that it actually was what it appeared to be. Yep, the sign said "Estate
Sale". I asked my daughter if we should stop. She said we should.
I went with LEDs for holiday lighting a number of years ago, and if you went
past Margaret & Highland at a time when it was visible from space you saw
nothing but incandescent lights. I bought some flags and told my daughter she
could pick something out. She chose a reindeer display. With some sadness I
paid for our treasures and we continued on our way.
The house has a For Sale sign now. Someone else will live there for future
Christmases. Maybe the new residents will put out lights. From space the house
will look no different than any other house in Eau Claire or across the
country.
But if you go past our house at Christmas you will see a small part of what
made the house that was visible from space special. And at lots of other houses
too. It was a busy place during the estate sale. And the collection was
dispersed, not discarded. You'll see it in dozens of places, not just one.
Just something to think about as we take in light displays this holiday season.