With the national news filled with death and destruction and local news being about disagreements (Waterfront Park, Wiscasset sewer plant) and delays (Waterfront Park and mail), it's hard to be in a jolly mood this holiday season. I don’t mean to be a downer but even my “new” morning ritual of listening to Christmas music on WHOM 94.5 FM while shaving hasn’t cheered me up – much.

But riding around the region and seeing the many homes and businesses decorated for Christmas does bring a smile to my face (and hopefully yours, too). There’s something about colorful lights that sets the mood right.

I remember walking down Townsend Avenue as a youngster and teen when those big bulb lights were strung zigzag across the road. It was a beautiful, Norman Rockwell-type scene. Toward the end of their time, however, there were several gaps as lights expired (or were broken by snowball throwers).

There … I feel a little more jolly just writing about the lights. Hope you are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas by getting out to shop, seeing the light displays, saying hello to everyone you meet, etc. Or maybe listening to Burl Ives, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Jose Feliciano, or others belting out those once a year songs.