Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. IFRAME: [1]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P [2]Skip to main content (Submit) Open main navigation Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [3]Full Schedule [4]All Programs Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [5]Full Schedule [6]All Programs * [7]United States [8]US Politics + [9]Immigration + [10]All About America + [11]Science & Health + [12]Silicon Valley & Technology * World [13]Africa + [14]The Americas + [15]East Asia Pacific + [16]Europe + [17]Extremism Watch + [18]Middle East + [19]South & Central Asia + [20]VOA News on Iran * Sections [21]Arts & Culture + [22]Day in Photos + [23]Economy & Business + [24]Press Freedom + [25]Plugged in with Greta Van Susteren + [26]VOA StudentU + [27]VOA Connect + [28]Refugees * [29]US News * [30]Press Freedom * [31]VOA StudentU * [32]VOA News on Iran [33]Voice of America Logo (Submit) Search Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search (Submit) Lang [34]Live TV Live TV Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [35]Full Schedule [36]All Programs [37]Live Radio Live Radio Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... Please wait, loading... [38]Full Schedule [39]All Programs English [40]English [41]voanews.com [42]Learning English [43]learningenglish.voanews.com Eastern & Central Europe [44]Shqip [45]zeriamerikes.com [46]Bosanski [47]ba.voanews.com [48]Îλληνικά [49]gr.voanews.com [50]ÐакедонÑки [51]mk.voanews.com [52]Srpski [53]glasamerike.net [54]УкÑаÑнÑÑка [55]ukrainian.voanews.com Eurasia [56]ÕÕ¡ÕµÕ¥ÖÕ¥Õ¶ [57]amerikayidzayn.com [58]Azerbaijani [59]amerikaninsesi.org [60]á¥áá áá£áá [61]amerikiskhma.com [62]Ð ÑÑÑкий [63]golos-ameriki.ru Central Asia [64]O'zbek' [65]amerikaovozi.com South Asia [66]বাà¦à¦²à¦¾ [67]voabangla.com [68]Ø¯Ø±Û [69]darivoa.com [70]Ù¾Úت٠[71]pashtovoa.com [72]ÙÛ Ø§Ù Ø§Û ÚÙÙ٠رÙÚÛÙ [73]voadeewanews.com [74]ارد [75]urduvoa.com East & Southeast Asia [76]á»ááá¹áᬠ[77]burmese.voanews.com [78]ç²¤è¯ [79]voacantonese.com [80]ä¸æ [81]voachinese.com [82]Bahasa Indonesia [83]voaindonesia.com [84]ááááá [85]khmer.voanews.com [86]Khmer [87]voacambodia.com [88]íêµì´ [89]voakorea.com [90]ລາວ [91]lao.voanews.com [92]à¹à¸à¸¢ [93]voathai.com [94]à½à½¼à½à¼à½¡à½²à½ [95]voatibetan.com [96]Tiếng Viá»t [97]voatiengviet.com Africa [98]Afaan Oromoo [99]voaafaanoromoo.com [100]á ááá [101]amharic.voanews.com [102]Bambara [103]voabambara.com [104]Français [105]voaafrique.com [106]Hausa [107]voahausa.com [108]Kinyarwanda / Kirundi [109]radiyoyacuvoa.com [110]Ndebele [111]voandebele.com [112]Português [113]voaportugues.com [114]Shona [115]voashona.com [116]Soomaaliga [117]voasomali.com [118]Kiswahili [119]voaswahili.com [120]áµááá [121]tigrigna.voanews.com [122]Zimbabwe [123]voazimbabwe.com Middle East/North Africa [124]ÙØ§Ø±Ø³Û [125]ir.voanews.com [126]ÙÙØ±Ø¯Û [127]dengiamerika.com [128]Kurdi [129]dengeamerika.com [130]Türkçe [131]amerikaninsesi.com Latin America [132]Creole [133]voanouvel.com [134]Español [135]voanoticias.com [136]Coronavirus Outbreak Holiday Lights in Spring Brighten Dark Times By Associated Press March 23, 2020 05:51 PM Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Print this page FARMINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - At a time of great uncertainty, even the seasons seem scrambled. Christmas lights in springtime? Wrapped around a tree trunk in Colorado, fashioned into a heart in Alabama and hung high over Main Street in a New Hampshire town, holiday lights are going back up. 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. "We live out in the country, but I know you can see them from the highway," said Julie Check, who turned on the white lights that trace the roof line of her home in Eastman, Wisconsin, on Wednesday night. "Anything I can do to make people happy right now, I'm going to try to do." In Farmington, New Hampshire, a roughly five-block stretch of downtown has been re-illuminated with holiday lights that swoop and zigzag between tall wooden posts. So cherished is the town's 80-year decorating tradition that taxpayers approved spending $11,500 six years ago to erect the posts after the electric company said lights could no longer be affixed to its poles. Jason Desjardin, of the Farmington Preservation & Improvement Organization, turns the Christmas lights back on in Farmington, N.H., March 19, 2020. Jason Desjardin, of the Farmington Preservation & Improvement Organization, turns the Christmas lights back on in Farmington, N.H., March 19, 2020. "It's a small town; we don't have a lot of traditions. That was one of them, and we just didn't want it to go away," said Lee Warburton, president of the Farmington Preservation and Improvement Organization, which maintains and installs the lights. At his suggestion, the 27 strands totaling 2,000-plus bulbs were tested and turned back on Thursday night. "It's tough for everybody right now. Everyone is on edge," he said. "We just thought it would be nice to give the folks in town something to smile about." Police Chief John Drury was all for the idea. He remembers how pretty the lights looked when he first visited the town for a job interview on a December day 20 years ago. "It was one of the things that actually drew me to this community when I was first looking to be a police officer," he said. "By bringing the lights back, hopefully it gives people the sense of hope that we're all in this together. We'll get through it." In this March 19, 2020, photo, a lit Christmas tree hangs from a pole at dusk as holiday lights illuminate downtown in Farmington, N.H. A lit Christmas tree hangs from a pole at dusk as holiday lights illuminate downtown in Farmington, N.H., March 19, 2020. Many of the posts on Twitter and other social media platforms point back to a Colorado man who tweeted Monday 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 Thursday she made the offhand suggestion after making the wrenching decision to indefinitely postpone the funeral for her sister, Marlene, who died on March 13. "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." Two young men walk down Main Street under Christmas lights through downtown in Farmington, N.H., March 19, 2020. Two young men walk down Main Street under Christmas lights in downtown Farmington, N.H., March 19, 2020. Since then, others have adopted his #lightsforlife hashtag to share photos of their efforts. In Huntsville, Alabama, Sarah Bang said she usually just winds a string of white lights around the railing of her apartment balcony for Christmas. But after seeing Peterson's tweet, she made a heart shape instead. "I had Christmas lights because I'm super into Christmas, so I dug them out and decided love was a good thing to spread," she said. Related Stories A minibus taxi driver wearing a face musk looks on during his journey in Kwa-Thema east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday,'¦ 00:03:11 [137]Coronavirus Outbreak [138]South Africa Laughs in Face of Coronavirus To laugh or to cry? With flood of jokes and memes, South Africa chooses laughter to help deal with pandemic Anita Powell By [139]Anita Powell Fri, 03/20/2020 - 19:05 AP logo Written By [140]Associated Press (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) (Submit) [141]Twitter [142]Instagram [143]Facebook [144]YouTube [145]RSS Search VOA News ____________________ (Submit) Search * [146]United States [147]US Politics + [148]Immigration + [149]All About America + [150]Silicon Valley and Technology * World News [151]Africa + [152]The Americas + [153]East Asia Pacific + [154]Europe + [155]Middle East + [156]South & Central Asia * Sections [157]Arts & Culture + [158]Day in Photos + [159]Economy & Business + [160]Extremism Watch + [161]Press Freedom + [162]Science & Health + [163]VOA StudentU + [164]VOA Connect + [165]Refugees * Voice of America [166]About VOA + [167]Contact VOA + [168]Terms of Use and Privacy Notice + [169]Accessibility + [170]Get Our Mobile App + [171]Usage Requests + [172]VOA Around the World + [173]VOA Pronunciation Guide + [174]Media Relations + [175]Listen on the radio + [176]Satellite Schedule + [177]Subscribe to Our Newsletters References Visible links 1. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N8MP7P 2. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXX2naaya/L21037062-581TMP.html#main-content 3. file://localhost/watch/schedule 4. file://localhost/watch/programs 5. file://localhost/listen/schedule 6. file://localhost/listen/programs 7. file://localhost/usa 8. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 9. file://localhost/usa/immigration 10. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 11. file://localhost/science-health 12. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 13. file://localhost/africa 14. file://localhost/americas 15. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 16. file://localhost/europe 17. file://localhost/extremism-watch 18. file://localhost/middle-east 19. file://localhost/south-central-asia 20. file://localhost/middle-east/voa-news-iran 21. file://localhost/arts-culture 22. file://localhost/day-photos 23. file://localhost/economy-business 24. file://localhost/press-freedom 25. file://localhost/plugged-greta-van-susteren 26. file://localhost/student-union 27. file://localhost/voa-connect 28. file://localhost/refugees 29. file://localhost/usa 30. file://localhost/press-freedom 31. file://localhost/student-union 32. file://localhost/middle-east/voa-news-iran 33. file://localhost/ 34. file://localhost/watch 35. file://localhost/watch/schedule 36. file://localhost/watch/programs 37. file://localhost/listen 38. file://localhost/listen/schedule 39. file://localhost/listen/programs 40. https://voanews.com/ 41. https://voanews.com/ 42. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 43. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/ 44. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 45. https://zeriamerikes.com/ 46. https://ba.voanews.com/ 47. https://ba.voanews.com/ 48. https://gr.voanews.com/ 49. https://gr.voanews.com/ 50. https://mk.voanews.com/ 51. https://mk.voanews.com/ 52. https://glasamerike.net/ 53. https://glasamerike.net/ 54. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 55. https://ukrainian.voanews.com/ 56. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 57. https://amerikayidzayn.com/ 58. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 59. https://amerikaninsesi.org/ 60. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 61. https://amerikiskhma.com/ 62. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 63. https://golos-ameriki.ru/ 64. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 65. https://amerikaovozi.com/ 66. https://voabangla.com/ 67. https://voabangla.com/ 68. https://darivoa.com/ 69. https://darivoa.com/ 70. https://pashtovoa.com/ 71. https://pashtovoa.com/ 72. https://voadeewanews.com/ 73. https://voadeewanews.com/ 74. https://urduvoa.com/ 75. https://urduvoa.com/ 76. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 77. https://burmese.voanews.com/ 78. https://voacantonese.com/ 79. https://voacantonese.com/ 80. https://voachinese.com/ 81. https://voachinese.com/ 82. https://voaindonesia.com/ 83. https://voaindonesia.com/ 84. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 85. https://khmer.voanews.com/ 86. https://voacambodia.com/ 87. https://voacambodia.com/ 88. https://voakorea.com/ 89. https://voakorea.com/ 90. https://lao.voanews.com/ 91. https://lao.voanews.com/ 92. https://voathai.com/ 93. https://voathai.com/ 94. https://voatibetan.com/ 95. https://voatibetan.com/ 96. https://voatiengviet.com/ 97. https://voatiengviet.com/ 98. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 99. https://voaafaanoromoo.com/ 100. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 101. https://amharic.voanews.com/ 102. https://voabambara.com/ 103. https://voabambara.com/ 104. https://voaafrique.com/ 105. https://voaafrique.com/ 106. https://voahausa.com/ 107. https://voahausa.com/ 108. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 109. https://radiyoyacuvoa.com/ 110. https://voandebele.com/ 111. https://voandebele.com/ 112. https://voaportugues.com/ 113. https://voaportugues.com/ 114. https://voashona.com/ 115. https://voashona.com/ 116. https://voasomali.com/ 117. https://voasomali.com/ 118. https://voaswahili.com/ 119. https://voaswahili.com/ 120. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 121. https://tigrigna.voanews.com/ 122. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 123. https://voazimbabwe.com/ 124. https://ir.voanews.com/ 125. https://ir.voanews.com/ 126. https://dengiamerika.com/ 127. https://dengiamerika.com/ 128. https://dengeamerika.com/ 129. https://dengeamerika.com/ 130. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 131. https://amerikaninsesi.com/ 132. https://voanouvel.com/ 133. https://voanouvel.com/ 134. https://voanoticias.com/ 135. https://voanoticias.com/ 136. file://localhost/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak 137. file://localhost/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak 138. file://localhost/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/south-africa-laughs-face-coronavirus 139. file://localhost/author/anita-powell 140. file://localhost/author/associated-press 141. https://twitter.com/voanews 142. https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ 143. https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica 144. https://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo 145. file://localhost/rssfeeds 146. file://localhost/usa 147. file://localhost/usa/us-politics 148. file://localhost/usa/immigration 149. file://localhost/usa/all-about-america 150. file://localhost/silicon-valley-technology 151. file://localhost/africa 152. file://localhost/americas 153. file://localhost/east-asia-pacific 154. file://localhost/europe 155. file://localhost/middle-east 156. file://localhost/south-central-asia 157. file://localhost/arts-culture 158. file://localhost/day-photos 159. file://localhost/economy-business 160. file://localhost/extremism-watch 161. file://localhost/press-freedom 162. file://localhost/science-health 163. file://localhost/student-union 164. file://localhost/voa-connect 165. file://localhost/refugees 166. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5831.html 167. https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5621.html 168. https://www.voanews.com/terms-use-and-privacy-notice 169. file://localhost/section-508 170. file://localhost/voas-free-app-mobile-and-tablet-devices 171. http://www.insidevoa.com/p/5719.html 172. https://www.voanews.com/voa-around-world 173. http://pronounce.voanews.com/ 174. http://www.insidevoa.com/ 175. file://localhost/voa-broadcast-frequency-schedules 176. http://direct.voa24.news/english/portal/broadcast-schedule 177. file://localhost/subscribe Hidden links: 178. https://media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/sourced/s3/2020-03/AP20080659514903.jpg?itok=sTjF1B7r 179. https://media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/sourced/s3/2020-03/AP20080659622770.jpg?itok=lKv4sI7t 180. https://media.voltron.voanews.com/Drupal/01live-166/styles/sourced/s3/2020-03/AP20080659703576.jpg?itok=0kAdbmxB .