Menu
The many days of decorating
For many, decorating for Christmas begins soon after Thanksgiving, lasts a few hours or perhaps a few days, and ends when the mistletoe and tinsel are packed away a month later -- ready for next year.
For others, in particular anyone with kids, Christmas decorating is a year-round process, which simmers throughout the summer, picks up steam in mid-fall and kicks into high gear the week before Christmas.
June, July, August -- With so much time on their little hands, kids are instantly drawn to the red and green boxes stored in the basement. Over the course of the summer, ornaments find their way into the toy box and the Santa Claus hat is used, along with the misplaced witch's hat, for dress-up.
In the meantime, given-up-for-gone pieces from last Christmas are surfacing behind the piano and under the sofa cushion. Unfortunately, their matching pieces and mates went into the trash in mid-March. Still, these lonely pieces make their way to the Christmas boxes, which are now being used for the three-story fort in the playroom.
Day after Halloween -- Christmas decorations magically appear in the stores, which means only one thing: Two more months of children begging to walk past the Christmas decoration in the store, since we won't have ours up for at least one month and three weeks.
It also means my sister-in-law will be putting up her Christmas tree today, only to be taken down either Christmas evening or the morning of Dec. 26, if she's running behind. First Saturday after Thanksgiving -- Growing up, this day was designated as the time to unpack the decorations, untangle the 33 strings of lights and, my favorite, assemble the Christmas tree.
This was no small task since it meant matching up 13 light-blue-tipped branches with 14 light-blue-marked holes; aligning 11 medium-blue-tipped branches with eight medium-blue-marked holes; and finding 17 dark-blue-tipped branches ... you get the picture. At some point, you just stood back and hoped all the big branches were on the bottom, the small ones were on top and the mess of limbs resembled a tree or at least Santa.
Of course, my family is not on any kind of schedule and the unveiling of decorations slowly happens over the next month. Two weeks before Christmas -- The time has come to break (literally) out the decorations.
With everyone gathered round, I carefully unpack and place three Christmas decorations high on the bookshelves, out of the reach of little hands. Four minutes, three preschoolers and one hardwood floor later, I am carefully gluing back together three Christmas decorations high on the bookshelves.
It's also time to hang the Christmas lights outside. Actually, this task was started two week earlier, but a few other things popped up.
I went to the basement to retrieve the first of three boxes of lights.
As I passed through the laundry room with a green-and-red box in hand, I spied a set of sheets, waiting to be put away. I laid them on top of the Christmas box and figured I'd drop them off at the linen closet on the way.
Forty-five minutes later, I had completely reorganized and labeled all the shelves in the linen closet, each shelf proclaiming "twin," "full" or "queen." In the event I'm seriously injured, at least my husband will be able to change the beds.
Two weeks later, I hauled out the ladder and began stringing the lights.
At the same time, I reviewed emergency procedures with my son: "Now, if mommy falls from the ladder and is laying on the ground, not moving, what should you do? That's right. Call 911. No, do not poke me first, do not stop at the candy dish, just get to the phone."
One week to go -- It is time to try a few more decorations. The nativity scene (of course, very breakable) is carefully arranged on yet another bookshelf, with everyone placed in their rightful spot. That arrangement lasts about 30 seconds.
I am constantly finding Baby Jesus among the sheep, Mary hanging out with the three wise men and Joseph playing with the cattle and donkeys.
To alleviate the situation, I unwrap the (keyword) plastic three-piece nativity scene, only to find we are down to two-pieces. It seems Joseph has flown the coop and left Mary as a single mother with her new baby.
That's O.K. I'm sure he'll wander home...around April ... from under the couch...in 14 pieces.