Daily Herald opinion: During the long, dark winter, let holiday lights linger a while

Every year as the calendar turns to January, a familiar suburban ritual unfolds.

Someone notices the neighbor’s Christmas lights still glowing in the dusk, a grumble is heard down the block, and local officials quietly remind homeowners of rules about when “holiday cheer” should come down.

In a recent Daily Herald article, staff writer Eric Peterson outlined how some suburbs like Aurora and Elgin have codes or enforcement options for decorations lingering into the new year. These are mostly to address safety hazards or nuisance complaints.

Codes such as the National Electric Code set broad guidelines for removing temporary lights after about 90 days, which towns can enforce if they choose.

“If it is a life safety, public health or public nuisance issue, we do enforce this section,” said Hoffman Estates Director of Building & Code Enforcement Sanyokta Kapur.

Beyond such practical concerns, perhaps it’s worthwhile to take a deep breath and relax about a few extra weeks of twinkling lights. Less judgment, more acceptance.

Let’s remember that winter is long, gray and often disheartening for many people, especially after the holidays are over.

The sun sets before 5 p.m., and many of us slog through slush and cold to get back and forth to work, school or home.

Given these circumstances, maybe we can view a neighbor leaving lights up as a little bit of magic instead of a nuisance.

The soft glow of lights and decorations can offer comfort during a dark and cold season. We can choose to embrace them and let them lift our spirits rather than complain.

It is reassuring to know that not everyone is bothered by expired decorations. In Barrington Hills, where the town’s 2011 exterior lighting ordinance specifies Oct. 20 to Jan. 31 as the period for holiday lights, Village Administrator Anna Paul says she hasn’t fielded any complaints about Christmas decorations in her eight-year tenure.

Of course, if lights or decorations create real hazards like blocking walkways, causing electrical issues, or posing trip risks, those should be addressed. But that’s quite different from neighbors leaving warm white lights up well into January because they enjoy them.

Are these complaints worth pursuing? Maybe not when we remember that people are struggling with far more stressful day-to-day issues than what month extension cords are finally rolled up and put away.

Let’s reserve enforcement for true dangers, and let the rest of us celebrate a little glow in the dullest and darkest part of the year.

Instead of policing holiday cheer, perhaps we should enjoy a small gift of light in winter that reminds us that warmth and joy don’t need to end on Dec. 26.