Four weeks ago, Donna Daisy Pratt felt inspired to pull out her three tabletop Christmas trees and decorate her apartment for Christmas.
“This is so surprising to me that I did this because I usually decorate around Thanksgiving. I like the seasons to unfold as they should,” says Pratt, an artist and theater producer.
“This year is such a grievous blow on so many levels, but it has offered a time for reflection, to become introspective and consider where do we go from here,” she explains. “I have never decorated this early, but never have I felt so strongly we need the uplift, joy and hope that Christmastime traditions bring to my country.”
She isn’t alone in that belief.
Many families are already decking their halls to bring some light and cheer to their homes during the country’s coronavirus crisis. Putting up Christmas lights early is an idea that first made an appearance in March when many New York City neighborhoods lit up to spread Christmas cheer to their neighbors. As word of this phenomena spread by social media, so did the number of displays nationwide.