I've been happy about my neighborhood for a long time. Part of that is that it's pretty much where I grew up, part of it is that I now have a lot of friends there, but one of the biggest parts is the demographics.

Right now, it means that the windows of most of the houses are filled with loveliness each evening, as each family member lights his or her own menorah (okay, married couples often share, but it's traditional that everyone else has their own. We have our own). Since it's currently fashionable to light with oil instead of candles, the lights are very clear and white, so each window looks like a constellation - one that gets more stars every night. It's like the essence of increasing joy.

I especially love looking across the street to the small house that contains a large and very sweet family, because how beautiful their window is.

In a week or so, the lights will reach their brightest - lines of stars twinkling in the winter night - and then it will all stop, which somehow adds to the beauty.