Some San Diegans have busted out the Christmas decorations — in April — as a way to spread joy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The trend has gathered some steam nationwide, with Christmas-in-Springtime spotted everywhere from Pennsylvania to Delaware to Massachusetts to Illinois to, now, San Diego, where decorations have been spotted in Allied Gardens and Mission Hills.
"I saw this today while driving home," said a user on Allied Gardens Nextdoor. "Normally these neighbors only put this out during Christmas. Today I saw it, and it made me smile after a particularly difficult day. Thank you to this house for bringing me some 'JOY' this afternoon ❤️❤️❤"
As the coronavirus spreads, the displays are providing a bit of emotional and actual brightness. And they’re especially easy to enjoy from a safe social distance. Hashtags like #LightsforLife and #CoronaChristmas are spreading the holiday vibes far and wide.
Many of the posts on Twitter and other social media platforms point back to a Colorado man who tweeted in mid-March that his mom thought people should put Christmas lights in their windows “to remind each other there is still life and light” while they stay home to avoid the virus.
Rosemary Peterson, the mom in question, said she made the offhand suggestion after making the wrenching decision to indefinitely postpone the funeral for her sister, Marlene, who died on March 13.
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“We know we are not alone. Many are giving up events, experiences, celebrations and milestones,” she said. “So in the midst of a lot of darkness, I thought we could all use some light.”
Both she and her son were surprised that his tweet took off.
“He told me, ‘Mom, there are a lot of people looking at this!’ and I said, ‘Oh, no! We have to go put out some lights!’” Peterson said. “We ran out and wrapped a tree and had another light string we put around our front window. Nothing too fancy, I’ll tell ya.”
The makers of Corona beer, of course, got into the #CoronaChristmas game early -- years ago, in fact, when they decorated a palm tree shown against a dusk sky for the O'Tannenpalm advertising campaign that began in 1990.
