Posting a semi-previous post until I get time to write!
So I almost got in a fight with my Christmas tree last night. We have a new tree and I am just not sure I like it yet.
We got one that is flocked. That makes everything look different. It is pre-lit with white lights. It also came with these clear plastic dangly things held on to the ends of the branches by plastic string. They’re supposed to be little decorations. I call them… well, I can’t say that on here. Grrrr.
I put blue lights on the tree, intending to go with a blue and silver theme this year. Something was missing. I put red lights on it and then felt like saluting the tree. I had a red, white and blue tree. Not quite what I had in mind. I put blue and silver rope around the tree. Now it just looked cheap and garish. I felt like I needed to put it on a street corner so it could earn the money back we’d spent on it.
Every step of the way, those dangly things caught onto everything – including my clothing – and fell off or created a tangled mess. Then there were gaps in the tree and I couldn’t make the branches bend to cover the holes. I stuck huge silver and blue balls in there but it just looked stupid. I finally got mad and took everything off the tree, wrestling those dangly things all the way. My intention was to re-do the red and blue lights (below is 2008 year’s tree).
Hubby came in and asked, “What ARE you doing??”
I replied that I was preparing to burn the tree down.
He was, understandably, concerned, “The heck you are. You are NOT burning down that new expensive tree.”
I knew that but still. So I replied, “And I am getting ready to cut all those stupid dangly things off because they tangle in everything I put on or near the tree, including me.”
His mistake, “Oh no, you’re not! You are not going to do that either.”
Oh NO??? Was that a challenge I could meet? And win? Yes! I promptly got scissors and began cutting those stupid dangly things off the tree.
Common sense finally prevailed (plus there was a LOT of them) and I stopped cutting them off. Didn’t matter. They were propagating on the tree while we were talking and I was cutting.
I explained my problem and he agreed to put the lights back on the tree for me since I am a bit vertically challenged and had been fussing and cussing at the tree, the lights and those blasted dangly things. I was NOT having a holly jolly Christmas.
He began putting the lights on – I heard a slightly muffled sound coming from behind the tree. Could that have been a curse word? Surely not! But yes! He had gotten tangled in the dangly things.
HA! I am vindicated.
He had actually cut his hand while trying to break off the dangly thing without telling me. That plastic string is truly amazing stuff. I rather smugly took my scissors to him.
So in between the dangly things that are left and spraying canned snow on the green wiring that was so obvious in the white branches, the tree is up. We even got the branches bent to cover the gaps. Am I happy with it? Nope. Am I done with it? Yep. Know why?
Somewhere between the last of the dangly things and some sleep, I awoke this morning with a new attitude. Christmas isn’t about the perfect tree, perfect gift, or perfect decorations. It isn’t about the perfect food, perfectly wrapped matching presents, throwing a perfect party or having perfect Christmas pictures.
Once we get that down, we’ll have a much better holiday season. We’ll just let go all the stress and enjoy ourselves. I am catering my food this year (except for the goose) so that I can spend time with family and not in the kitchen cooking, baking, dish washing, wiping countertops, cooking, baking, blah humbug.
So in the midst of wrestling lights, trees, and dangly things (ho ho ho), I am going to stop and simply ENJOY the season. Stop and count my blessings. Take stock and realize I have a lot to be grateful for.
I know I do – I am sneaking in at night and cutting those dangly things off the tree, one at a time.
(Update Captain’s Log 2010. We are still finding and destroying the enemy dangly things. It has been a long battle and we’ve lost many men in this on-going fight in the galaxy of… oh. Different story. But yes, we ARE still battling blasted dangly things. Here is this year’s version of the dangly thing tree.)
Alpha Says:
