Among the places that you do not want to be when the power goes out at your home is in the middle of a shower. I had managed to avoid it up until now, but after nearly three decades of weathering the periodic power outages that accompany being a New Hampshire resident, it finally happened.

Fortunately, I had just finished rinsing the shampoo out of my hair and had yet to proceed further when the lights flickered out and the shower slowly diminished to a trickle. I turned off the tap and considered my next move.

Slowly, carefully, I managed to get out of the shower without falling and wrap myself up in my robe. Groping my way over to the counter, I successfully located my phone and engaged its flashlight function. I hoped I would have enough battery life to track down an actual flashlight.

As anyone who has been through a power outage in New Hampshire without the aid of a whole house generator can attest, you don’t want to rely on your phone’s flashlight function as a source of light since it’ll drain your battery pretty quickly.

You need as much of your battery life as possible for reporting your outage to the power company and receiving subsequent updates – not to mention for communication purposes.

Sure, once you get the portable generator fired up, you’ll be able to recharge your phone at that one outlet it powers, but no one wants to go to the trouble of starting the generator in the middle of the night unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Since it’s entirely possible that the power might come back by the time you wake up, it makes sense to hunker down in bed and stay cozy for the time being. Phone battery conservation is therefore the name of the game.

Due to the amount of time that had passed since our last significant outage, I had grown overconfident and put the flashlight that I usually keep on my bedside table back in the hall closet.

I now believe that this is the home equivalent of taking your ice scraper out of the car because you think you’re done with snowstorms for the winter. Not long after you put it away, you find yourself needing it again.

It took a fair amount of digging in the hall closet to find a flashlight that not only worked but was bright enough to actually see by. Mom has her own system for organizing the closet, and it’s very possible that I was searching through a pile of sub-par flashlights awaiting proper disposal and all the quality flashlights were preemptively stationed at crucial locations throughout the house.

But even though the flashlight was bright enough for me to safely navigate back to my bathroom, it was not bright enough to help me finish getting ready for bed. It simply did not provide enough light by which to accurately apply freezing-cold moisturizer to my face.

Thankfully, Jesus came to my rescue – along with Mary, Joseph and three wise men.

You see, it takes me such a long time to put up my countless Christmas decorations that I usually leave them up until mid-February. Judge me if you so desire, but I love my tabletop trees and snow globes.

One of these snow globes is in the shape of a lantern and has a nativity scene inside it. It is battery powered and casts a fair amount of light, which is amplified somewhat by the light reflecting off the myriad pieces of silver glitter that swirl about inside.

I brought the lantern into the bathroom and set it on the counter. As soon as I switched it on, that portion of the counter was bathed in a soft golden glow, the swirling glitter creating disco-ball-esque sparkles on the walls.

It was a good start, but there was still room for improvement. I decided to add another battery-powered snow globe – this one shaped like a large pillar candle and set in one of those bedside candle holders that has a loop on the side so that you can easily carry the candle. It even has a crown of glittery melted wax, topped with a flickering plastic flame.

With one snow globe on each side of the sink and a few battery-powered votives scattered about for good measure, the bathroom was transformed into a magical winter wonderland. I honestly forgot about the whole lack of electricity, heat and running water because all my lights were so pretty – that is, until I tried to brush my teeth.

The power was still out the next morning, so Mom and Dad started up the portable generator. Using my phone as an intermediary flashlight had taken its toll, so I plugged it in to recharge as soon as it was my turn to use the outlet.

Our power was fully restored by that evening, but I still waited until the next day to attempt another shower – especially since we had a fake out where the electricity came back on in the middle of the day and then went off again an hour later. I wasn’t about to tempt fate by trying to condition my hair.

I’ve started to put away my Christmas decorations, but the snow globes and battery-powered votives will definitely be the last items I pack up. I’m thinking of leaving them out a little longer – say, until May, just in case.

Tete-a-tete is published monthly. Teresa Santoski can be reached at tsantoski@gmail.com or via www.teresasantoski.com.

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