In which Christmas consumes my waking hours

Now that Thanksgiving is passed, the Christmas decorating frenzy has begun.

We fetched the Christmas stuff out of storage this weekend past. Saturday the totes and boxes came home - had to leave Evan home to have enough room in the Quest. Since the weather was moderate (and Sunday was expected to be very cold) we spent the day putting up the outdoor decorations. The house has white icicle curtain lights hanging from the rooflines, and jewel-toned globe lights topping the icicle curtains. The bushes on front of the porch have their normal jewel-toned clear C-7 strands, and the juniper in the front yard has the same C-7s, with little clear lights for filler. Some of the C-7s are “twinklers” and they make a neat display. This year we decorated the fence dividing our yard from the neighbor on the east. It has a garland illuminated with clear lights running the length, and a wreath on the sidewalk end. It visually "ties" the juniper bush to the rest of the house. Last night as we were returning home, we decided that the effect from the upper (far) end of the street was very nice.

I can’t wait until it finally snows. I find the lights shining out from under the snow to be especially pleasing.

Sunday found us arising late, and we showered and sped off without breakfast to the grocery store and the storage unit for trees. It was indeed cold, made so mostly by the north wind. There were three trees in storage; the 9' tree for the "hall" - our vaulted-ceiling family room; a 7' tree for the living room; and a 4' tree that seems to vary in placement and decoration from year to year. The hall tree needed to be tied to the roof, but the two smaller trees fit inside the minivan. We quickly made room for the two large trees and erected them. I have to say that the "making room" part was a challenge, partly because we do seem to have a lot of furniture and partly because of the broadcast toys, but largely because of the totes and boxes that had arrived the day before. Because the living room curtains cut off the bay – and that’s where the tree goes – we also had to insulate the bay’s windows. That took some time, too.

Chris had to go to work to play catch-up, and I had shopping to finish, so we parted and returned later for the decorating frenzy.

I started Sunday night with the hall tree. The theme is red and gold, and I consider it a "decorator" tree. It's like a 9' floral arrangement. It drips. It displays my love of beads and shiny things, and decorating it is almost ritualistic, as many of the ornaments carry the significance of the holiday. Evan helped by hanging red icicles and the gold drops with the mirrors. He did a pretty good job of not hanging all of the icicles in any one place, considering his age and exuberance.

We had decided to put the Christmas village in the opposite corner of the hall. Chris cut a piece of plywood to rest on Mother's TV (which is only used for DVD movies, as it has never gotten cable attached) and on a leg cut to fit in the corner behind the television. I'm working on a papier mache' mountain to serve as a support for some of the porcelain houses, as well as a tunnel for the train. Several Christmases ago, Chris gifted me with an HO-gauge Hogwart's Express. Thus, we're building Hogsmede as the Christmas village. So far, it needs at least one more coat of papier mache' and a coat of paint. It's a big project.

Since the hall tree is nearly finished, we started unpacking the ornaments for the living room tree last night. This shorter tree is more the "family" tree, and the ornaments each hold a memory or significance to one of us. Evan's first, second, third, and fourth Christmas ornaments are on there, as well as a moose commemorating our trip to Yellowstone on 2003. I'm fond of the old-fashioned German style blown-glass ornaments, and so there are a bunch of those; a sewing machine for me, face cards for Chris, a flying pig from my Laureling. There is a hedgehog and an apple (SCA affiliations), and lots and lots of Santas. Chris' mom's chiming bells are on it, too - they're one of my favorite parts. The little brass bells really chime to ring carols. They remind me of the bell ringers in church on Christmas Eves past.

Also last night, Chris assembled the 4' tree; we put it in the breakfast nook bay window. I want to do that blue and gold celestial tree that I've wanted for years. I also decorated my "Portland" tree; like the "family" tree it's in the living room. When I was on the road last year, I was in Portland Maine during the holidays. Not only is it a great little city, but also we made some wonderful memories there. Chris and Evan flew up to spend New Year's there with me; while I worked, they toured the city. We went up to Arcadia National Park, which was remarkable in the winter, and toured lighthouses in the Portland area. (A The tree was the one that I put in my hotel room - in a fit of hotel humdrums, I went out to Target and purchased a tiny tree, tiny ornaments, and lights. I was able to decorate my hotel room since I couldn't enjoy the decorations at home. How I got the ornaments home all on one piece, I can't tell. But the tree now lives on the short bookcase in the living room.

My "office" tree is on the arts and crafts library shelf in the dining room. So far, I can't find the ornaments! They're in the garage I'm sure. The lights are red, and since the tree looked a little sparse, I added holly boughs to the pine. It's a 2' tree, and the theme is Santas - it looks very cool looking from the hall through the kitchen toward the dining room.

We purchased two huge poinsettias last night (under $16 for 10” pots at Costco), and they are gracing either end of the credenza. Chris changed the linens from fall to red and gold Christmas. We put the old-fashioned candy canes that Aunt Lena used to have, in her candy dish on the credenza, too.

Our status right now is "explosion". Work is taking up any waking hours not consumed with Christmas, and so although we've got a lot of decorations up, there is still some way to go. Until then, the totes and boxes seem to languish half-full and open everywhere. The TV in the living room is framed with them, and we have to sashay around two large totes to get into the front door. The front porch contains some of the chaos, but those decorations will too soon find a place. Mostly garland and such, I have plans for framing the front bay window and the top of the fireplace. And for lining the back porch with old(er) curtain lights. I hope the outlet on the back porch isn't on the same circuit as the front porch!!

The deadline is Thursday. The cleaning girls come on Thursday at noon (thank heavens!!) and the mess must be either contained or displayed by then. Then the fake pine needles and mylar garland detritus will be swept up, and the muddy footprints from Saturday will be scrubbed away.

What's next? I promised Mother Chex Mix sans added salt, and Evan has been promised Purina People Chow. ("Chocolate??” he said.) And I need to make cookies, and the need for save-the-banana bread is getting apparent. Some time in here, Midwinter sewing needs to consume my waking hours....