My darling daughter loves Christmas. She could not wait for me to finish vacuuming the living room before she was pulling out the decorations and deciding where everything should go. It would have been really cute that night if it wasn't so stressful for me. When did decorating the house become such a chore?
I think it changed when it became MY house and not my parents house. And I think it changed when I realized that I am really not a good duster. So, if we are going to put out pretty decorations, there is a thick layer of grit and grime that must be removed first and it is just a lot of work to haul out the boxes of decorations. The joyful exuberance is exhausting to me and I have realized that I no longer make the decisions about where things go because even if I do plan a position for a sentimental object, it will get moved by someone under 5 feet tall who has other ideas about where it is better suited.
So, I gave up.
I have to admit though that the house looks pretty darn cute. The kids have arranged objects in nice little groups even if they are not where I would have put them. We have had disagreements about where to hang extra strands of lights. It seems that every time I come home, there are more lights twinkling from somewhere. And if the glow of hundreds of little bulbs was not enough, the glow of excitement on my daughter's face is more than enough for me to step back and just enjoy the view. I won't get critical of the lights wrapped around my floor lamps and draped across my curtain rods. She at least understands that she can't tack them to the walls.
The boys have gotten enough Fire Safety Week stuff drilled into them that they have taken it on as their personal responsibility to unplug the lights when we are not home. It is really quite amusing. I think I will choose to de-stress about it and be proud because decorating for the holidays has truly become a family project.
Martha Stewart will not be showcasing us on her show by any means for we are not the epitome of elegance and good taste. But we are feeling cheerful, merry and bright. The power grid may surge a bit tonight as my daughter will no doubt find yet another strand of lights to plug in somewhere. Our karaoke Christmas carols being sung by the choir do not sound like sweet little cherubim but I do believe that you would recognize the cheerfulness and enthusiasm with which they are sung...even if my kids say "Pass the Whiskey" in Rudolf (Where they learned that I do not know...) and they all know that Mom will shush them when her new favorite comes on and she will turn up the radio and sing along with Mariah Carey singing "All I want for Christmas..." and those close to me know that I sound very little like Mariah...
But we are dashing through the snow, roasting chestnuts, and wishing you all a very merry Christmas with all the joy we can muster in our hearts in our own haphazard, off-key, non-Martha way!
I love this time of year.
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