Where do those little white Christmas lights look best? How many lights should I use? How long can I leave them up?

I heard those three questions many times in November and December, but discovered they still need answering long after the holidays are gone.

Q1: Where do those little white Christmas lights look best?

On the Christmas tree is the logical answer. But, how about on the oak tree in the front yard? And, how about using them to outline the aluminum ribs of the screen enclosure around your swimming pool? Or, circled around a lamp post to make it look like an old-time barber pole, or dangling from the ceiling of your bedroom, or outlining your front windows with a welcoming glow, or covering the fake ficus tree that stands beside your piano?

The answer is, “Wherever you would like light and attention, hang the lights!”

Q2: How many lights should I use?

Just a few more than enough.

Down our street, four families formed a light crew and hung 40 million lights on their oaks, palms, roofs, garages, streetlights, and parked cars. Looked like runway lights! But people came from far away just to see the sight, count the wattage, and talk to the engineers. Lights draw people into the circle of your friendship.

When we moved into our current house we inherited four, eight-foot fake ficus trees. Ugly ficus trees. I was carrying two of them to the dumpster when Brenda intervened, pled their cases, and convinced me to return one to the living room to be covered with 100 little white lights. “It will be beautiful,” she promised.

Brenda was right. As always. No one notices the tree, but many comment about how warm and cheery the lights are. “Makes the room feel safe,” one said. Lights draw people into the safety of your friendship.

There is a hedge in our backyard. It wanders around the edge of the grass providing a bit of leafy privacy, and a perfect place for hanging lights. They’re there, about four feet up, glowing away the dark each evening. Lights draw the dark away, and replace it with glittering hope.

Q3: How long can I leave them up?

For always! As long as you’d like to have friends come, sit, talk, laugh, and share—hang lights. Lots of lights. And leave them on so the “Light of Life” will draw new friends to you … so you can introduce them to Him.

Dick Duerksen is an assistant vice president for mission development at Florida Hospital.