The Christmas Tree Is Still Up and Lit

It was beginning to bother me when I saw no sign of the neighbors for a week. We aren't friends but we are neighborly. To me, that means that I watch out for them and there’s, while they watch out for me and mine.

Does that make sense? Well, it does to me having grown up and lived in small-town USA my whole life.

It isn't uncommon for people to go away over the holidays. But to leave their Christmas tree burning in their living room is. It is lit up all night. It is a bit difficult to see during the day. But at night it lights up the whole place.

In talking with my wife, we decided to call the police later today if we continued to see no sign of anyone over there. She was going to pay special attention to their place, and I would ask around.

It was so worrisome that no one knew anything about the neighbors. I never realized how much everyone was so much to themselves. Maybe I am the only small-town guy, with my take on how that works.

We were at home when the mailman got to our house. Just a bit later than usual. I invited him in for a minute and we told him our concerns about the neighbors. He laughed and explained that yes, they were out of town.

He then explained that they have some new lighting that is guaranteed to not start a fire. It was a bit more expensive, but they thought it would be well worth the price to not have to worry about anyone breaking in while they were gone.

When he left, we talked about how the noisy neighbors would be talked about all over town as our mailman was known to spread a little gossip from time to time. We decided we were going to get to know our neighbors better so that we would be one of the first to know when they left town.

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Prompt for January 5, 2024: (Last Day of Christmas) Sentient Christmas tree decorations: The aim is to post a short story (flash fiction) EVERY DAY.