My grandfather, a retired civil servant and World War II veteran, recently received a notice from the Hickory Ridge Condominium Association requiring him to take down all his exterior holiday decorations. On top of this, the association required his neighbor, also a World War II veteran, to take down the American flag that he put up after Sept. 11 because it was attached to the garage. If they didn’t obey these regulations they would have to pay a fine every day.
Despite the tragic events of Sept. 11, I have never felt prouder to be an American. I believe that horrible day has helped to unite the generations, races and creeds within our country. Whether a baby boomer like my parents or a member of Generation X, we have probably never felt as close to the greatest generation (my grandfather’s) as we did during those events. Whether Caucasian, African American or Asian, Christian, Jewish or Muslim, we all suffered and pulled together as one.
One would have thought that this year the holiday season would have been extra special — a time to thank God for all the gifts he has given us and to go out of our way to help each other; a time to celebrate the differences that have made this country great. Instead, the small people of the Hickory Ridge Condominium Association felt it was a time to enforce a never before used rule forbidding the use of Christmas lights on the exterior of the house ("Then the Grinch got an idea, an awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderfully awful idea."). I guess these people thought they could keep Christmas from coming.
I hope one day these people realize that it’s not the lights or the decorations that Christmas is about. It’s about the people who we spend it with.
Kaitlyn Torpey,
age 10
South Brunswick