Jingle Jangle

Some 22 months in, and it’s obvious that The Boy and I agree on most things.  Christmas is not (yet) one of them.

Put another way… His mood: Grinchy.  My mood: Snoopy decorating the doghouse.

I love Christmas. Unabashedly. I love the traditions, the lights, and the chance to have an absolute baking marathon. I love the idea of lots and lots of candles at the darkest time of the year. I love the idea that people all over the world go a little wacky and become convinced that what their house really needs is a big tree smack in the middle of the living room.

I even love, love, love me some Christmas specials. Thus, last night’s discussion of why it’s better to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when it’s actually broadcast, rather than on DVD (three words—Dolly Madison Cakes). However, I do promise that if Nick and Jessica actually have a special next year, I will seriously reconsider watching it. Three minutes of her desperately breathy version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” = three looong days of me trying to get her voice out of my head. Blech.

My key to enjoying Christmas: Staying out of stores as much as possible, especially on the weekends. This was proved again Saturday. After two hours among the Christmas hordes, I was ready to consider committing a felony if it would just get me out of the freaking checkout line. So when The Boy tells me he wants nothing to do with Christmas, I understand. He spends 40 hours a week not just among shoppers, but actually having to deal with them, answer their inane questions, and generally be cheery at the busiest time of the year. Add in the fact that he abhors consumerism and has a pathological hatred of Christmas music… which he must listen to all day.

He’s what would happen if Santa had to draft people to be elves.

But I must say, The Boy is putting in a heck of an effort—helping me with next weekend’s cookiepalooza; untangling strings of lights; and, touchingly, trying to keep his Grinchiness in check because he wants me to enjoy the holiday. I think he also figures that if he helps now, maybe I won’t go crazy and try to outdo my sister, who has two trees—one of which is nearly nine feet tall.

How big is it?

She couldn’t actually get the tree box in her car. Instead, she had to open the box in the parking lot and unload the branches into her trunk (filled it right up). It’s so big that it took 500 lights and all of her decorations (the ones she bought this weekend AND the ones she already had). It took almost four hours to set up and decorate. She had to rearrange furniture to accommodate it—and she doesn’t have a ton of furniture.

When she asked her husband if he hated it, he said, “I don’t know…it’s just...so big.”

Fortunately for The Boyfriend, I remembered that we have limited space and bought a moderate six-footer for us to decorate. We would have done it last night, but there was a…discussion of sorts about the lights. Like it’s my fault that years ago, some store only had white lights, and that my dad’s solution was to buy the lights and then color them with a Sharpie. Apparently they have faded a bit and are now more white-with-blue-tips than actually “blue.” So, one trip to Walgreens later and we have new (colored) lights.

We’ll be putting them—and all the ornaments--up tonight, shortly after I make six batches of almond cookie dough. Once that's done, I can hang the fake pine garland over the doorway and finish my Christmas cards. Oh, and I have some craft projects to do…

Did I mention that I love Christmas?

Comments

[Sister]

My tree can beat up your tree....

[Terrance]

Ha! You have something in common with my husband. He love, loves holiday decorations. I shudder to think what he would do to our house if I didn't restrain him a bit. He'd buy new holiday decorations every week between Christmas and Thanksgiving.

I'm not exactly a Grinch. I've even been know to warble a (secular) holiday carol or two, but I do get a little tired before Dec. 25th rolls around. Come New Years, I'm a little relieved that the season is finally over.

Oh, and I agree about staying out of the stores. Last year I started doing all of my holiday shopping online, and I've never looked back. Besides, the shipping deadline forces me to take care of things early, instead of waiting until the last minute, and the idea of wading into a sea of holiday shoppers with a two-year-old in tow...well, any parent will tell you that's just asking for trouble.

[elmegil]

(three words—Dolly Madison Cakes)

You can buy those, you know, and then you don't have to sit through all the OTHER ads :-)