I really don't want to give the impression that I am the Christmas Grinch....but OK lets be honest...maybe I am!
This stems from the whole decorating the house for Christmas thing! I know that lots and lots of people just love dragging up all those boxes and dusting everything off .....and then 2 weeks later....packing it up and dragging it all back down to the storage room!
Me....not so much....I am less enthusiastic about that whole exercise. Don't get me wrong..I do love having everyone home for Christmas, and usually have about 25 people here for Christmas Dinner! And I do enjoy all the festivities and wrapping presents...just get a little testy with the decoration part!
But.....last night I put up the Christmas tree and decorations. And here is where the Grinch surfaces!!
First of all, the tree (artificial) is quite old, so when I get it out of the box several of the branches have fallen off .....this happens every year! They are held on with little plastic plugs...many of which are now missing , and replaced with a variety of odds and ends of screws and bolts !! So once I finally get the branches all attached to the stem....the color coding for the placement long gone!....I start on the lights! We have a vaulted ceiling so quite a large tree....meaning that I have to have an assortment of chairs/stepladders to reach the top and circle my way around the tree! It looks a bit like "Ring-around-the- Rosie" except up and down off the chairs and step stools!(Thank you DH for assisting me this year!!)
After finally getting 4 strings of lights on....yes 4 strings...I thought that I would replace a few of the bulbs that were not working. They are those little, tiny, bulbs about the size of a mosquito!! It was going well until one whole string of lights went out!!!!##*%*#*@!!!
Of course it was the middle string!! And after several attempt to fix it ...I just took it off and sort of stretched out the remaining lights. There is only one dark spot.....really !!
After the lights...everything else seemed easier...of course it is all relative, isn't it?? I actually thought a glass of wine might help...but then I was afraid that I would fall off my step ladder, and breaking more than the Christmas decorations..and that would really not fit into my plans right now!
Anyway....I finally out manoeuvred the old tree, and got it done!
And hung all the stockings ......I don't have a mantel any more on the fireplace...(.gotta love modern designs, eh??) so my stockings are hung by the table with care! Even though a few of the kids (and assorted girlfriends, husbands etc) won't be here for Christmas morning this year!
Now that it is finished I am happier with it...of course the glass of wine to celebrate the finish helped too! I think I might check out the after Christmas sales and find a new tree....one with the lights already built in...what do you think??
Don't forget about the Blog Hop Party Giveaway here. And check out all the other good giveaways over at theQuilting Gallery! Have fun!
This stems from the whole decorating the house for Christmas thing! I know that lots and lots of people just love dragging up all those boxes and dusting everything off .....and then 2 weeks later....packing it up and dragging it all back down to the storage room!
Me....not so much....I am less enthusiastic about that whole exercise. Don't get me wrong..I do love having everyone home for Christmas, and usually have about 25 people here for Christmas Dinner! And I do enjoy all the festivities and wrapping presents...just get a little testy with the decoration part!
But.....last night I put up the Christmas tree and decorations. And here is where the Grinch surfaces!!
First of all, the tree (artificial) is quite old, so when I get it out of the box several of the branches have fallen off .....this happens every year! They are held on with little plastic plugs...many of which are now missing , and replaced with a variety of odds and ends of screws and bolts !! So once I finally get the branches all attached to the stem....the color coding for the placement long gone!....I start on the lights! We have a vaulted ceiling so quite a large tree....meaning that I have to have an assortment of chairs/stepladders to reach the top and circle my way around the tree! It looks a bit like "Ring-around-the- Rosie" except up and down off the chairs and step stools!(Thank you DH for assisting me this year!!)
After finally getting 4 strings of lights on....yes 4 strings...I thought that I would replace a few of the bulbs that were not working. They are those little, tiny, bulbs about the size of a mosquito!! It was going well until one whole string of lights went out!!!!##*%*#*@!!!
Of course it was the middle string!! And after several attempt to fix it ...I just took it off and sort of stretched out the remaining lights. There is only one dark spot.....really !!
After the lights...everything else seemed easier...of course it is all relative, isn't it?? I actually thought a glass of wine might help...but then I was afraid that I would fall off my step ladder, and breaking more than the Christmas decorations..and that would really not fit into my plans right now!
Anyway....I finally out manoeuvred the old tree, and got it done!
And hung all the stockings ......I don't have a mantel any more on the fireplace...(.gotta love modern designs, eh??) so my stockings are hung by the table with care! Even though a few of the kids (and assorted girlfriends, husbands etc) won't be here for Christmas morning this year!
Now that it is finished I am happier with it...of course the glass of wine to celebrate the finish helped too! I think I might check out the after Christmas sales and find a new tree....one with the lights already built in...what do you think??
Don't forget about the Blog Hop Party Giveaway here. And check out all the other good giveaways over at theQuilting Gallery! Have fun!
I'm with you on the decorating the whole house...so over it. I keep saying this is the last year for that old tree and then put it up again the next! I usually have a melt down, and the glass of wine and I end up in the shower in tears. I hate being the grinch....but it is so much work. So I plan on baking this week and enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand. I don't have kids home anymore so I don't do too much decorating, but once the grand babies come I plan on starting again.
ReplyDeleteI had the same light issues last night..lol It took 5 tries and a few choice words, but the lights look okay for now..lol
ReplyDeleteOh Flo, you should only decorate as much as you want to - any more and it becomes a chore and that is not what you want for Christmas. Don't ever feel like a Grinch coz you don't go over board like some of us. Just a thought though, maybe if you ditched the old fiddly tall tree, like I did last year, and invested in a new easy to assemble not so tall tree you might not find the process so onerous. We had a huge tree and this year with my smaller trees life is so much easier!
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, your tree does look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI used to love the decorating process, but that was when we were home for Christmas and my kids were here and the house was full. Now, I still love the pretty and the glow, but not all the work involved. Our regular (fake) tree is large and I have a light addiction, last year I put 13 strings of 100 lights on the tree and it took hours to do so. I have to say my simple aluminum tree with 1 strand of lights and few ornaments makes me very happy this year. I only brought up the things I knew I was going to use and I released all guilt about the things I wasn't using. Much easier, much happier and with the silvers and blues, not so screaming Christmas this year.
ReplyDeleteI think your tree turned out beautifully!
I LOVE hanging ALL the stockings. I am going to drag out that box I sent back to attic. We have stockings for all the kids (adult now) for when they visit. But hey why not hang em all! Your tree is fantastic. And I am so glad you are Blog Hopping.
ReplyDeleteI definitely vote for "tree" with lights already on it. I am in the Rockies -- but this tree hunt business is getting old...or I am!
awolnick@gmail.com