Karen 'Girl' FridayLet’s Paint The Town Red

Let’s Paint The Town Red

Photo credit, michaelcfriday.com

The Woo-Hoo Factor

It’s my birthday and I’ll smile if I want to, smile if I want to….

I celebrated a birthday this week—the first day of December. I painted the town red.

Have you ever wondered where the expression originated? How exactly does a person and friends go about painting the town red?

I found a plethora of answers:

From Google. Celebrate. Have a party. Live it up. Have a ball.
Fireworks and bonfires where the sky appears red. Set something on fire. (The Free Dictionary.)
Visits to the bar and drunkenness. (Pity a fun saying brings such emptiness and misery.) (idiomeanings.com)
Violence. Dating back to the 1800’s, an article in The Phrase Finder, “The allusion is to the kind of unruly behavior that results in much blood being spilt.”

No unruly behavior going on here. For our purposes, keep in mind the glitter and sparkle of painting the town red. The “woo-hoo!”

Besides the birthday girl (yours truly), the entourage of red painters included my husband, son, daughter, and son-in-law. A wild and crazy bunch, no doubt.

On the way to dinner reservations, my husband, Mike, presented me with a gift. A Christmas necklace containing multi-colored lights. The push of a button sent red lights scooting around the rope or blinking in place.

One stipulation. He asked me to wear it to dinner. Resting in off mode unless one of our expectant table guests arrived or excused themselves to the restroom. Who wouldn’t want to join the fun table? The necklace demanded attention.

Just the kind of attention a girl needs on her special day. A decadent dessert with candle called for more red lights. It’s my birthday for goodness sakes. So, I did what any party girl would do. Pushed the button and smiled.

An elderly gentleman used a menu to block secretive gestures to his wife about their dinner neighbors. The fun-filled night ended. All fun things come to an end or do they?

Melissa and Mary Ann at my dentist office

Strictly For Research

Deciding to test a theory, I wore my newfangled necklace (lights on) the next day. I hit the road to run a few errands in town. Would it bring smiles? What comments and conversations would evolve?

First stop, a dentist appointment. A place for smiles. I know. No one enjoys the dentist. But hey, they work to keep your smile front and center. Everyone fancied the necklace and mentioned purchasing one for each of the staff. There you go. The dentist can be a happy place—sort of.

Next, the bank for a deposit. Honestly, concern for security cameras while sporting flashing red lights made me apprehensive. But the crew enjoyed my festive necklace. I took their picture and the bank’s cameras probably snapped mine.

The crew at my local Regions Bank

Red for Christmas

A powerful Bible story describes blood being spilt to paint the town red. In Exodus 12, the Israelites put blood from a lamb without blemish onto two doorposts and the panel above the door of each house. The Lord’s Passover.

Protection from the final plague God brought on Pharaoh and the land of Egypt for refusing to let His people be released from slavery. Firstborn males, people and animals, would die. “When I see the blood I will pass over you and I will not destroy your firstborn children when I smite the land of Egypt” (Verse 13, TLB ).

After that fatal night, Pharaoh let the people go. The Lord instructed them to celebrate the Passover every year.

Years later, a perfect lamb without spot or blemish once again provided passover blood. Jesus, God’s Son, willingly gave His life and blood for spiritual death to passover God’s children. Physical death may strike, but spiritual death can’t touch those in Christ.

The blood of the lamb on the doorposts of our hearts. “But [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ” (I Peter 1:19, AMP).