A Long Island family received an interesting piece of mail recently, an anonymous, typed -out letter that scolded them for still having their Christmas lights up in February. The letter read, “Take your Christmas lights down! It’s Valentines Day!!!!!!!”

Sara Pascucci shared that while the letter would have bothered her under normal circumstances, it hit especially hard now. In January, in less than one week apart, Pascucci lost her father and her aunt to COVID-19.

Her father, who has lived with her, had put up the Christmas decorations that she was now receiving angry letters regarding. He put them up after Thanksgiving, as he did each year. Following his death, Pascucci couldn’t bring herself to remove the decorations quite yet.

Pascucci was motivated to post about the letter in a Long Island Moms Facebook group, detailing why the note was so painful, in the hopes that the anonymous send may see her post.

Pascucci elaborated on the struggles the family faced this winter, including funeral arrangements, bills, and their immense grief. She then added that she hasn’t been in the mood to take the Christmas decorations down, and she wouldn’t apologize for it.

The post exploded, with the Facebook group and the local community feeling outraged. Pascucci’s Facebook inbox was soon filled with messages of encouragement and support. She started receiving flowers, heartfelt cards, and meals. A GoFundMe account was even created to help the family cover costs.

The best part? Neighbors started to demonstrate their love and support by redecorating their homes in their Christmas decorations.

To mark Valentine’s Day, the whole community is planning to light up their homes in honor of the Pascucci family and others who have lost their lives to COVID.