Happy New Year!
I wanted to start the new year with a story...
In 2022, we moved from a typical Perth suburb to the Western Suburbs to be closer to the beach. In this move, I didn't think of the cultural changes I'd experience. So when Christmas rolled around, I brought out my Christmas decorations (mostly acquired from sales), and looked around my neighbourhood to see that it wasn't a street that decorated. With that awkward pain in the pit of my stomach, I went ahead and hung my mismatched lights, and blow-up sausage dog in a Santa outfit because they bring me joy.
House prices in the neighbourhood didn't plummet. The world didn't end.
This year, I repeated the process (and added a blow-up Santa from Aldi). Same feeling reappeared, but quickly vanished. Neighbours stopped me to tell me how they looked forward to the decorations, and how much joy they brought them. A couple invited us over for drinks so we could look at the lights from different vantage points. Acquaintances told me they drove across the suburb to look at them. A few neighbours upped their decoration game - and another is keen to do so next year.
Embrace the discomfort, and do it anyway. Seek joy - it's contagious. Build connections.
(For the sustainability folk, the decorations that need power are either solar-powered or low-voltage that pull power from our battery. The latter are on a timer to manage energy consumption, and build good neighbourly relations - because who wants a disco tree still partying at 2am?)
What a perfect way to invite a brand to a special event!!