It started in November with a single string of Christmas lights on a Baltimore County street. Kim Morton was watching a holiday movie with her daughter when she received a text from a neighbor to “take a peek outside.”

When she did, she was surprised to see that her neighbor, Matt, had hung a string of white Christmas lights, stretching from his home to hers. He had also left a tin of homemade cookies on her doorstep.

You see, Matt knew that his neighbor was facing a dark time. She was dealing with anxiety and depression and grieving the loss of a loved one while also carrying stress at work. So, in Matt’s words, “I was hoping to simply brighten her world and let her know that she was not alone.”

Here’s what Matt didn’t know. That simple gesture would spark a neighborhood-wide movement. In the days that followed, neighbor after neighbor followed suit, stretching lines of Christmas lights from one side of the street to the other.

I loved reading this story. There was nothing planned. Nothing organized. It was simply one neighbor reminding another neighbor that they weren’t alone, and that one little gesture sparked a movement.

Friends, Advent is here. The Light of the World is with us all.

This holiday season, let’s not just take the light in ourselves; let’s also remember to spread that light to our neighbors and friends. We could all use a little more light and joy in this world!

– Mark