Neighborhood Snobbery

So I took the dogs outside for a walk last night at about 9:30 PM, and that was when I realized it was the annual luminary night in our neighborhood.

Sidewalks lined with luminaries, those paper bags with a little sand and a candle in them, make a beautiful sight, and I have no problem with it. There's nominally a charitable aspect to the night, with a coat donation bin somewhere I've never found and the money leftover from the supplies theoretically going... somewhere? But the organizers don't charge all that much for the supplies, so I can't imagine they end up with a bunch of cash.

What it really is, though, is a chance to trot out some house snobbery. Whoever is organizing it doesn't just tell the whole city when it is and then let each area organize. No, they contact specific people on the chosen blocks and let them deal with their own neighbors. So there's a line where all the candles stop and it just happens to be right where the fancy houses end.

My block is mixed -- my house is pure garbage from 1958, but the houses on either side are historic and one has the plaque to prove it. We used to get invited. However, my neighbor (with the historic house plaque) was apparently the only person good enough to be roped in by the organizers and she's pretty much over it by now, so... the first I knew it was happening was when we walked down the block and I realized I needed to make sure my dogs didn't catch on fire.

Whatever. It was pretty anyway.

Sometimes it's good to stop and think twice about what you're doing little snail.