Neighborhood Christmas Lights

Dear Editor:

To many of you, the holiday season begins with the preparation of decorating the outside of your house before the real bitter weather of New England falls upon us. We begin by cleaning the yard of the fallen leaves, making sure the flower beds are all pruned, the last of the leaves are blown from the corners of the yard and the windows are clean. We then dig out the boxes marked holiday lights and wreaths.

We moved to Canton in 2003 with a small baby in tow, settling in on the top of High Street. It was our first home and I was eager to decorate the outside of the house. I placed wreaths on each of the windows, making each bow by hand, then my favorite was placing a simple white candle in each of the windows. Much to my chagrin, my neighbors took their decorating to the next level. I learned this by not needing to turn on my exterior lights for the month of December and the slowing down of cars that stop and admire the Alessi Christmas lights.

My neighbor, Joanna Alessi, takes her Christmas lighting very seriously. Almost to the extreme. The planning begins the day after Christmas with picking up lights on sale. She contracts her electrician to confirm that all outlets are working and new ones are added. Her mother-in-law gave a gift certificate to her one year to have the rooftop lined with lights. In November, she monitors the rain and drop in temperature, then her magic begins. She pulls from her garage boxes and plastic bins one after another and then spends hours with hammer, wire and strings of light to get it all just right for her lighting on Thanksgiving Eve.

Joanna has shared stories over the years of the people who have stopped. The neighbor who walks her grandchildren by each year, their own mother home sick with cancer. The autistic child who begs his mother to drive by Joanna’s house each night just for a peek of the lights. The neighbor who gets her little boy to sleep each night, first by looking out his window at Joanna’s lights, then he is ready to be placed in bed for a good night’s sleep. Our elderly neighbor across the street, who has prime view from her bedroom window, admires Joanna’s handiwork each year. I could go on, but I think you understand how these lights make a difference on the top of High Street.

These lights have forged a friendship with Joanna and I, breaking the ice at first for us to chat in the driveway and learn about one another. Now my son helps her annually, and they have their special time together hammering in the stakes so the inflatables stay in place. I have teased her about being one of Santa’s elves in charge of holiday lights at the North Pole. I truly believe she thinks she is an elf. Ironically, her birthday falls on the first day of winter, December 21.

This is to remind us that holiday traditions are important and are created in so many ways. Do you remember your favorite house that you admired as a child with its twinkling lights? Joanna is in a lighting slump this year and feels burdened with this task. I want her to know how important her lights are to me and to the people who slow down each year to enjoy her dedication to this craft. This year, if you’re driving past 161 High Street on December 21, yell out the window and wish Joanna a happy birthday, or if you’re shy, a honk will do!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Stanley-Coyne

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