Every year the same debate begins around the time we put up our Christmas tree. I’ll get to that in a minute.
Putting up the Christmas tree is a joyous family time. The kids hang their favourite decorations up, chatting about the “little snowman” or “beautiful bells”. They haven’t quite worked out the whole big picture of tree decoration though, so we tend to end up with large clumps of decorations about the same height as the children’s heads. I tried spinning the tree to encourage a more evenly dispersed approach but they tended to gravitate to the clump as if the texture of plastic pine needles was an offense to their eyes that had to be covered as thoroughly as possible. Of course the whole process took a bit longer this year as our youngest child is now old enough to pull decorations back off the tree in an attempt to eat them. My wife and I get more laughs out of assembling the Christmas tree than the traditional TV re-run of Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation.
So, the argument. Well, not really an argument, more a polite exchange of views. Views which neither of us are likely to budge on in a hurry. Everything goes fine every year until it is time for the tinsel. My wife prefers big, fluffly, boofy tinsel that looks like somebody tar and feathered a boa constrictor then spray painted it gold. I prefer thin, subtle strands. The cheap tinsel as my wife calls it. Not that I’m a tight wad, mind you. I’m happy to mortgage my house to get more Christmas lights. But big, boofy tinsel tends to overpower everything else. It is no longer a Christmas tree, but a tinsel tree. If you’re going to do that don’t bother about the tree, just hang a whole clump of tinsel from your roof and be done with it. My wife, however, feels if you’re not going to have big boofy tinsel it’s barely worth the effort of a tree, as the tree’s main function is obviously to support such tinsel. Eventually the argument discussion is settled, however, by whatever tinsel happens to be left over from last year. Except when it is just the cheap stuff, in which case my enterprising spouse removes it once I’ve gone to work, more content with no tinsel at all than try hard whisps of silvery nastiness.
Christmas; funny as a fit, really. I love it!
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. That’s because everybody else was out for late night Christmas Eve shopping!
Getting ready for Christmas can be a busy time: preparing for the meals, preparing for a family holiday (the running around alone is enough to make you need one!), and of course last minute gift shopping for family and friends. No wonder 2,000 years ago at the first Christmas the angels declared “Peace on Earth”, they knew how badly we’d need it!
I have tried a couple of strategies over the years to be more organised for Christmas. One attempt a few years back was to be ultra organised and start my Christmas shopping six months earlier. I found something for everybody, wrapped everything, and stored it all in the shed ready for the end of the year. Of course, every Christmas some relative turns up you weren’t expecting, so I even bought an extra box of chocolates just in case of such an emergency. Two days before Christmas, however, I heard that a great aunt was coming. She’s allergic to nuts. The chocolate-coated hazelnut trifles I’d bought (and wrapped and stored!) were not, therefore, an adequate emergency gift, and I found myself once more at the mall again fighting off every other last-minute Christmas shopper. After returning home triumphant with some nut-free chocolate I decided to also take the rest of the presents out of storage to put under the tree. That’s right, the presents that I’d proudly organised months earlier. The presents that I had safely stored in the shed. The very same presents that were now mostly nibbled away by some form of rodent, and one of which had obviously been sitting under a water leak all winter. Despite all my best efforts Christmas Eve found me back frantically shopping once again.
The second approach I tried was to spread the stress over a shorter period of time while still attempting to avoid the chaotic last minute rush. I calculated that I needed about 17 hours of shopping and preparation time before the big day. For the month before Christmas, then, I scheduled 4 and a quarter hours for “Christmas preparation” every week. I figured this way the month was still busy, but the stress was at least spread out. The down side of this approach is that after a month of Christmas stress I was well and truly “over it”, and decided to spend Christmas Day sitting on a beach fishing instead.
So, last minute shopping it is. The night before Christmas is here, and I’m off! Lots to do, very little time to do it, but at least in battling some grandma for the last “Ben 10” figurine for my nephew I’m going to enjoy the adrenaline rush of 6 months worth of rushing getting jammed into 3 hours of action packed extreme shopping! I don’t even know who Ben 10 is, but it should be fun!
Hoping you and your family have a blessed Christmas, and that in the midst of the fun you also get time to reflect on the true meaning of this wonderful celebration.
