The Light That We Are

Why do twinkling lights mesmerize us so completely? This is true at any time of year, yet these lights feel especially compelling during the holidays, when colored lights appear everywhere -- on homes, along streets, and woven through evergreen branches. Perhaps they captivate us because, at our core, we are made of light.

The lights that adorn the winter season are more than festive decorations. Across time and cultures, light has carried deep symbolic meaning, speaking to remembrance, hope, and renewal. Long before Christianity, ancient peoples marked the winter solstice with festivals of light, honoring the gradual return of longer days and the promise held within the dark.

In many spiritual traditions, light represents awakening and illumination. During the holidays, it becomes a living symbol of light prevailing over darkness. This symbolism feels especially poignant during the darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, where I currently live -- a season that invites both stillness and reflection.

Holiday lights also serve as a gentle reminder of our own inner light. They reflect the quiet, divine spark that lives within each of us, encouraging us not to dim ourselves, but to shine -- authentically and without apology. This inner illumination calls us to remember who we truly are, especially at life’s thresholds, when light may feel distant yet is most needed.

So let your light shine. Life is too important not to sparkle!