Confessions of an Overzealous Christmas Early Decorator

I must confess, I decorate for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving. Yes, I am ONE OF THOSE. The reindeer are out. The Santa Clauses are out. Everything is out of the closet.

No longer do I feel the overwhelming need to explain in the hopes of forgiveness. Indeed, unless you are paying my mortgage (and since Clemson was kind enough to send the Spring semester tuition bill this week, do feel free to contribute), truly - AIN'T NONE OF YOUR BEESWAX.

Despite saying that, and because it makes for a more lengthy blog, I will explain how I came to this state. Though part of me is explaining because writing the blog is more appealing then figuring out how to decorate the buffet in the dining room this year.

We have only eaten Thanksgiving dinner at our own home once in the twenty-four years we have been together. And we have lived within the confines of a one day trip to and from family, over the hills, and through the woods, exactly never. So every trip for Thanksgiving has consisted of at least half a day in the car going, and another half a day trip coming home. To say the sleeping arrangements have not been very comfortable would be an understatement, and in that statement let me say, that was true on both sides of the family - mine, and his.

Now - imagine a woman trying valiantly to imitate those skinny models they hire for the holiday commercials. The ones who are SUPPOSED to look like a wife and mother. I smile (too brightly), and announce after a long trip, "Yeah! Time to put up our tree, and decorations. How exciting!" Let me just give a few very common responses:

"Ugh,"
"Do we have to?"
"Can't you do it without us? We don't know where you want that stuff."
"You know, I think the house looks fine without it."
"We're tired."
"My stomach doesn't feel good."
"How long is this gonna take?"

I could go on - but many of you have heard the same. Those who haven't, y'all probably don't feel like you need a Valium after watching holiday commercials.

Many years ago, I stumbled upon putting everything up before we ever left. No one was burned out yet or exhausted. We had more time to enjoy it. Sort of like wearing your wedding dress for more then just the ceremony. We would come home, plug in the lights, and watch football.  We still wait to take it down after New Year's. But that's what works for us. Even now that we no longer have so many places to go for Thanksgiving, still putting it up. I love football, I want to watch it, too. 

And one more point about those endless holiday commercials with the perfect families - THOSE PEOPLE AIN'T RELATED TO EACH OTHER. I guarantee you that each one of those actors has some bat crap crazy relations, too.

And that gets me to the point of the blog - the holidays shouldn't be so dang stressful. If you want to decorate now - do it. If you want to eat Chinese, and watch Netflix - do it. If you want to say Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas - do it.  Each family should be able to do what works for them. The rest of us should chill, and not focus on criticizing such simple actions. Not when Paris is attacked, and Brussels is forced to lock itself up.

So from me to all of you - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, y'all be blessed. 

Christmas Past, or Present?

I’m not standing in judgment, I just don’t understand.  Yesterday I went for a drive and the sad sight of a lone Christmas tree, stripped of its decorations and lights, lay abandoned on the side of the road. It was only one day after Christmas. I understand that some trees are a bona-fide fire hazard by the 26^th, and they need to be removed for the sake of safety alone. Some people are going out of town and don’t want to deal with the removal after their return. There are many good reasons to take the decorations down early, but every year? What I’m talking about are the “serial-day-after-Christmas-decoration- removal-individuals.” They take the decorations down immediately because “Christmas is over.”

‘Cuse me? Oy vey! It doesn’t matter what faith you come from, believe in, or don’t believe in, but if you “participate” or believe, why short change the event? For me there is nothing sadder than celebrating because everyone else does, or giving just because of the gifts. It’s a lack of perspective that gets me. Christmas is more than just one day. Sure, if we’re going to be accurate, the birth of Christ wasn’t even December 25^th, but that is the day chosen to celebrate the anniversary of Christ’s birth, and it’s also called the “Christmas Season.” The wise men didn’t arrive five minutes after the birth with presents, it took a few days, hence Little Christmas, or Epiphany, which falls on January 6^th. I could go on and on, but the point is, have we really become so commercial that we believe Christmas is only one day?

When you get right down to it, we decorate for ourselves because it makes us feel good to see that special glow, the twinkling of lights and the bright reds and greens in the middle of winter. The manger scene reminds us, as does the star or angel atop the Christmas tree, and sometimes it’s good to be reminded of what is important. To celebrate Christmas I guess you really don’t need the decorations at all, and yet there is a part of me that thinks putting away the manger and the lights the day after Christmas would be like taking down a menorah after the second day of Chanukah.