AN UPDATE ON OUR FAMILY

First, a sincere thanks to the friends, neighbors, and homeowners' association representatives who have reached out during the past four months. We've heard from so many of you—a couple of times via a note tied to a rock thrown through our window—as we've navigated this journey.

- BY ALYSSA BRANDT

Because of all the feelings people have expressed along the way, I wanted to give everyone a quick update on our family: we have taken our Christmas lights down.

It was not an easy decision to make. Our Christmas lights had been up since November, so nearly six months as part of our household!

We have been so touched by the flood of D.M.s to our Instagram, the messages pushed through our mail slot, and the comments posted to our neighborhood Nextdoor feed. Heartfelt concerns like “ARE YOU KEEPING THEM UP FOREVER??!!!” particularly moved us, because we could feel the emotional investment some of you had in the longevity of our display. We acknowledge the hope that it inspired, the hope that these lights—bought during a Lowe's Black Friday BOGO sale—had indeed found their forever home.