Tonight I placed my Santa Claus chapeau upon my head, Jason threw "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" into the VCR and I began one of my favorite events of the entire calendar year: decorating the Christmas Tree.
Little did I know just how fraught with conflict this simple pleasure was to become. Ladies and gentleman, blog readers who read this random collections of thought daily and those of you who pop in from time to time: I need your help.
I spent my childhood watching my mom, Lila, wrap the trunk of the tree in white lights (so the interior of the tree is illuminated) and then string the rest of the tree with multi-colored lights. Year after year, Christmas after Christmas. The ornaments might have changed, sometimes there was ribbon, sometimes there was flocking on the branches. But the lights always remained the same.
Jason also grew up with multi-colored lights on his tree. However, his preference now is for plain white lights covering the entire tree.
You see the problem?
Our first year, I acquiesced to Jason's request for simple white lights. After all, he had made concessions of his own in purchasing a live tree for the first time in years. Last year, we weren't really in the mood for Christmas due to the trauma surrounding Jason's job loss. At the last minute, I threw up some garland wrapped in white lights and hung ornaments from that.
For those keeping track, that's white lights: 2, multi-colored lights: 0.
Although I won't be posting pictures of our tree until December 15th (BooMama's 2008 Christmas Tour of Homes!), I will tell you that our tree is currently sporting multi-colored lights. And yet, for the display on the top of our entertainment center I used white lights. See? Compromise. Even the Queen of Christmas Tree Decorating can manage it.
So here's where you come in. At the top of my sidebar there are two polls. Please, please, please, would you register your vote? And if you'd like to leave some more elaborate thoughts, feel free to comment on this post.
Remember, your vote counts. And my pride is depending on it. But, no pressure...
And if you do nothing else today (besides vote in my silly little polls, of course), do yourself a favor and watch the following clip. At least through 2:47, longer if you have time. I promise you won't be sorry.
(P.S. Jason knows about this post and the polls. In fact, he asked for them. Just didn't want you to think I was doing this behind his back. Ok, that's all. Go vote now!)
I am so, so sorry to have to do this to you, but I must vote for full on white lights. I'm sorry to break your heart, LR.
ReplyDeleteHere's the situation for my house.....one maybe you too, can adapt.
ReplyDeleteWe have a theme tree - have had it since pre-Garrett. It's gold and maroon with white lights. It has ribbon, pretty balls and sparkly things sticking out.
Now that we have Reese, I feel the need for the "kiddy" tree - and by that I mean the fun decorations that will be fun for him....school made ornaments for me, fun claydough ornaments we make together....
All that to say, you can truly have both in your home.....
And by the way...the beautiful "theme" tree sits in our big front window...the Reesey tree will be in our family room. Pretty appropriate, right?
Oh, and I have a bathroom tree with silver lights, Reese's baseball tree has red lights, and the guest room tree has pink lights....
Ben is ADAMANT that we only use white lights. At all times. Our first Christmas, I suggested colored lights, and I thought he might keel over with dismay and disapproval.
ReplyDelete16 years later--COLORED are victorious. I made it clear early on that I 1. name all children 2.get complete control of remote control and 3. Christmas lights are big and colored like I was custom at my Jam's house.
ReplyDeleteI LIE NOT--when I type this--WE HIRED AN ELECTRICIAN to come UP the amp-age in my circut breaker to support all the outside FAT DADDY big ole lights that I had slung up in the front trees.
YOU've just got to see it.