The whole world is in the middle of a crisis due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a disease that has infected thousands of people and is claiming the lives of many every single day.
Whenever we turn on our televisions and scroll through our social media feeds, it seems like everything we see and hear is bad news. Due to the negativity surrounding us, it’s hard to feel even a sliver of hope amid these turbulent times. Fortunately, people are doing what they can to bring some cheer into this world that has gone gloomy.
Even if we’re months away from the holiday season, people are turning their Christmas lights back on and replacing their holiday decor to spread cheer amid the fear brought about by the coronavirus outbreak.
The concept originated from sports broadcaster Lane Grindle, who took to Twitter to share his idea of safe entertainment as individuals continue to practice social distancing to curb the spread of the virus.
“What if we all put our Christmas lights back up? Then we could get in the car and drive around and look at them. That seems like a fair social distancing activity,” he tweeted.
At the time of writing, the tweet has received 2,800 likes as many Americans expressed their support towards the idea.
“Love this idea. I’m ready to hop into the truck now!” replied one user.
Some users even shared how lucky they are that they haven’t removed their decor.
“I knew there was a reason that I haven’t taken mine down yet!” tweeted another.
The idea spread like wildfire, and several people across the country started replacing their Christmas decorations and turning on their lights. Many took to social media to share pictures of their lit-up homes. The hashtags such as #LightsForLife and #CoronaVirusChallenge began trending on Twitter.
Sound On. Lights On. Hearts lifted. ❤️ We had our first confirmed case of #COVID19 in Cheatham County, Tennessee today. Our response is to be the light, and stay home! #FlattenTheCurve y’all. Have yourself a Merry Little Quarantine. 🎄#CoronaVirusChallenge #christmaslights #love pic.twitter.com/HmkTCm5O2Q
— Brenda Sparks (@theatreartist) March 19, 2020
The movement seems to have spread outside the US as photos from Canadians and Belgians are also taking over the popular platform.
Television networks are also doing their part in lifting people’s spirits in the middle of this crisis. On Wednesday, the Hallmark Channel declared that it would be bringing back its marathon Christmas movies this weekend as a way to keep people happy and entertained.
The movie marathon will start at 12 pm EST on Friday and will end on Sunday at 6 pm, according to Entertainment Tonight.
What a neat idea! This movement is proof that even bad situations can be improved with a dash of resourcefulness and optimism.
Please stay home as much as possible and if you have to go out to buy food please observe social distancing and hand-washing after. Let us all do our part to stop the spread of the virus.