Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Slacking on Christmas

I normally am *not* the proverbial slacker when it comes to Christmas – well, at least not a slacker in the decorations department!  The weekend after Thanksgiving has always been the start of the Christmas season for my family for as long as I can remember.  My mom would begin pulling out all of the Christmas decorations and tree trimming paraphernalia the weekend after Thanksgiving and by December 1st our home was always decked out in its holiday finery and would remain so until after New Year’s Day.  Usually the day that we children returned to school is the day she would take everything back down and pack it away – and we would return home from school to a house that had been returned to normal once again and the holiday season was then “officially” over and done with.

I try to keep that tradition for my own family.  Unfortunately, I actually am being a slacker this year.  Last year when I packed away the little ornaments that I had left (those which were not broken or light strands that actually still worked) I made a mental note that I needed to get some additional decorations for the tree this year and some lights – and I was NOT going to settle for whatever was on sale.  I want my tree decorated in silver and gold.  I have always wanted to have a themed tree – and I was bound and determined that THIS was going to be the year that I got my themed tree.

Guess again.

I should know better than to “plan” for anything – especially something like having a themed tree and specialized ornaments and lights and wanting a beautiful wreath to hang on my front door and lights to put in my windows to guide the wise men on their way – silly me forgot that every time I “plan” for something to happen a certain way it never happens the way that I want it to!  I have to be completely and totally spontaneous in order for anything to happen the way that I want for it to happen.

Having my seizures on the 4th and 5th didn’t help matters either.  While I did get my Christmas knick-knacks set up the weekend after Thanksgiving – the tree is still in the box in the closet (which was another “not going to happen this year” event as well – I wanted a REAL tree this year and not that fake crap!) and I still haven’t had the chance to purchase additional lights and ornaments.  I did promise the boys though that we would put the tree up tonight and what little decorations we have for it – so I’ll be taking stock of what I need, what I want – and then keeping an eye on the after Christmas sales so that I can go and put the items that I want on layaway so when next year rolls around – I will be ready this time!  Considering I only have roughly another 2 weeks of unemployment to claim before that ends – I need to make the most of it while I can!

What about you?  Have you gotten all of your decorations up yet, or are you in slacker mode right along with me?  When is your family’s traditional kick off to the holiday season? 

2 comments:

  1. we have all tghe lights outside the house up thanks to Dave being a whizz with all that we have moved into a new house and were told we couldnt drill the walls yet which made things a bit awkward with some stuff . I have the tree up and decorated from the 1st of December and we go from there i have a few nik naks from my mum which are particularly poignant for me to have and keep safe . Seeing she died of a heart attack Dec 17th 2004 i hit a real low around this time of year and struggle to shift which is why i go all out making christmas special even though we are skint and i dont know how our income support will feed us we are determined .
    I know things are up and down for youi hun but you do what you can like all of us but im sending good thoughts and lots of love to go along with xxx

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  2. Awh Amanda - thanks for sharing! I know a lot of people who have lost loved ones that are having a hard time during the holidays - and I can honestly say that there isn't a holiday go by that I don't think of my own mother and nana who always did so much to make the holidays so special for us kids. I've failed - miserably - when it comes to making the holidays as special and memorable as they did for my own children - but I keep trying. One of these years I will (hopefully!) get it right!

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