Getting Our Christmas On and Up!!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

 

 

Every year, it seems that we start putting up Christmas earlier and earlier.  When I was growing up, we put our tree up the week before Christmas and my dad passed out funny gifts that he picked out for us based on things we had done that year. One year, I made him spaghetti and the recipe called for a cup of onions. I didn’t have real onions, so I put in a whole cup of dehydrated onions. Needless to say, I think we went out to dinner that night. That Christmas I got several jars of dehydrated onions. Another year, my oldest sister was pregnant and dad made a nursing bra that had one white cup and one brown cup and he said it was for white and chocolate milk. I guess looking back, it didn’t make a lot of sense, but we all cracked up when she opened the gift, especially because that sister got embarrassed easily. Growing up, we put up one white tree with green and blue balls (matched the décor) and we had one of those revolving lights that made your tree change colors. I don’t remember much else in the way of decorations and now I put up six trees in my house and almost every room in my house has some decorations. I don’t know how it all happened, but every Christmas I swear we are cutting back next year.

 

Getting all that crap those decorations out of our garage has turned into one of our least favorite days of the year for my husband. He tells me every year his next wife will be Jewish and we usually have a minor setback, disagreement, or incident. One year, in our old house, my husband was in the attic and the next thing we knew his leg came through the ceiling in my daughter’s room. I quickly found out that the correct response in that situation is not, “what did you do that for?” Another year, he painstakingly attached these new candle lights I purchased to our tree and plugged it in to unveil the results.  I took one look and turned into Joan Crawford with her wire hangers…”Blinking lights. You know I hate blinking lights!” and let’s just say those blinking lights never saw another Christmas.

 

A couple of years ago, he tried the old stall tactic on decorating day. I thought we were all ready to start and found my husband in the kitchen slowly sipping (and who was counting) three cups of coffee. Every time I said, “Let’s go, Speedy,” he would say his coffee was still too hot to drink and take a little tentative sip. Finally, he finished with his coffee and I came around the corner and found him eating a piece of string cheese. At that point in time, we had been married 30 plus years and I had never seen my husband eat cheese in the morning, so I knew this was just another calculated delay. I thought about lining some food crumbs through the house and luring him out to the garage, but in the end, I did what I do best, and yelled.

 

The tension continued when John told me I had my sweat pants on inside out. Because we lost so much time with the cheese and coffee, I opted to leave them that way.  This particular year was the first year we were able to view the results of a plan my engineer husband had concocted the previous year. He had decided the year prior to put a different color of tape (4 in all) on the boxes he was putting away and each color represented a different area of the house. It was supposed to make it easier to tell what box went where in the house. This is one of those ideas that sounds good on paper, but in reality was iffy.  Right off the bat, there was a problem locating the tiny piece of tape on each box.  We probably could have used a microscope or a GPS system.  When I asked John if he thought this system up all by himself, he told me to come closer because he just thought of something he would like to tape.

 

Even with this new system, we couldn’t find some of the boxes.  After half of the boxes came down, I started to worry because I did not see any of the foyer boxes.  I put a white tree in my foyer and decorate it with blue, silver, and crystal ornaments and balls.   A woman with her pants on inside out in a panic is not a pretty sight.  I guess I must have asked more than once about those foyer boxes because John started shouting, “I do not have any blue balls….there are no blue balls up here!”   We started laughing, but in the back of my mind I was thinking there might be if he did not find those boxes.   Finally, we got all the boxes down and grouped into the colors.  The last stumbling block happened when John had to locate his notes from the year before because no one knew what tape went with what room.  Luckily, there was no cheese in the garage, so that only took about 30 minutes. 

 

This year, and YES I realize it is too soon, Christmas arrived at our house in mid October. The older John and I are getting, the longer and harder it is becoming to get all of our Christmas decorations down and up around the house. Next year, we are probably going to have to start in July.  John always takes one day off work to help and this year, I tried to give out hugs throughout the day to lighten the mood. Towards the end of the day when I would say, “How about a hug?” he started responding back that he would love a hug as long as I did not care how hard he hugged me back.  By bedtime, we were both hobbling around and fighting over his recliner that has a massage and heat system.

I promised him just about anything that night, if he let me go first in that chair, but we both knew if I could get my tired and hurt body into bed the only leg action I would be doing was elevating them on a pillow.

So, there you have it. Keep in mind, we are not so crazy as to light everything up until my mom, aunt, and uncle arrive sometime next week. The week after is my Cookie party and for my sanity, I just need to have it all done before company arrives.  I do know that every Thanksgiving, when we sit down to dinner, my husband and I always count the fact that we are done decorating as one of our blessings.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I just read all the responses, it seems we are all in the same boat. LOL!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Mike NEVER gets into Christmas decorating, it is all mine. He is supposed to string the lights on the tree, inevitably I am doing that....he fights me every year on Real or the big Gigantic, unappealing FAKE tree he insisted be bought 12 years ago ( I always win), our new ranch condo is much to small for something that is 8 feet wide and the same height. I like a white lights, he likes colored, I like the outside decorated he does not, I used to go all out, now I settle but if I am settling I am doing it in my way.

The tree will go up a couple weeks into December this year as family is coming after Christmas and I don't want to worry about a dead tree. It's going to kill me, I think I will have to make up for it with more deco than normal.

I just read Mike about your John's system (and the blue balls) he wants it - huh, no way Jose!

Enjoy your passion Laurie, it's Christmas!

 

[Anna and Achilles]

Putting the lights on one tree is enough for divorce court in my house. I can't imagine 8.

[Melody & Bruin]

Great blog, thanks for morning LOL!!!  I am ready for one of those already decorated pop up trees!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh Laurie you reminded me that our annual tree decorating day is coming soon.  For us it's the day after Thanksgiving....they don't call it Black Friday for nothing.  It is never a good experience.  I can't even imagine eight trees....that would put my DH right over the edge.  Thanks for my morning laugh!

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Sounds like a day in the life at my house during Christmas.  I LOVE to decorate and my DH can't stand it.  The only thing he helps with is taking everything out of the closet and putting up the outside lights...And when the lights go up and there is no divorce threat made...we have success LOL.

 

This year will be interesting.  I am having to rethink my decorations with little princess Bailey Bug in the house.  Usually I put my nativity on a table where her crate is....Oh where will baby Jesus go???

 

I hope everyone shares pictures...I love to see how everyone decorates in different parts of the country!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

We lived in Augusta, GA for 3 years and Laurie - you'd fit right in there.  Those women turn decorating into a full time job.  Not to be out done I too did the 8 trees, 34  building Dept. 56 display.  When we moved to FL 3 years ago - a mircle happened.  There are NO attics here, no basements, NO room for 8 artifical trees.  Why down here - it is hard to tell that it's Christmas, the decorating is that minimal as everyone is too busy playing golf.  LOL.  So now I throw the Christmas wreaths and the giant nut cracker on the front porch and call it good.  I agree please post your photos!!!!!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

OMD. What great pictures you have selected of the actual and imaginative kind. To think that once upon a time I envied people with all the Christmasy things. Now I see what I've been spared.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Hummmm, sounds like our house but only the up in the attic part and getting the stuff down.  Also, going to pick out the tree is another fun time for DH.  He wants to buy the first tree we see. Forget about if the trunk is straight and if it will fit in the tree stand let alone inside the house.  He keeps threatening to get the "Charlie Brown" tree!  Once the boxes are down and the tree is in the stand in the house everything is up to me after that!  No more help with the lights and decorating like he did, as he says "Way Back When We Were In Love!".  I have finally the last two years managed to get him to put the lights on the house and put of some lawn decorations.  I quit the outside stuff and he started complaining about not having lights so now he does it!  Thanksgiving weekend we are going up in the attic for our annual meet-up!! 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

OMD! This had me laughing all alone in the den and DH yelling from the bedroom..What's so funny?

I can't believe you make this much work for yourself for Christmas....we have simplified over the last few years and I am really enjoying it. Post pictures of all those decorations?