Getting ready for Christmas

Putting up the Christmas tree is a magical experience for me.  At least it's supposed to be.  I have fantasies about getting out the ornaments and oohing and aahing over each sentimental piece with the kids, and we watch old Christmas movies and have warm, fuzzy feelings.  In reality, we spend an hour sorting out all the branches by size, then putting them on layer by layer while spreading them out. I am usually exhausted after this.  All the while, I am trying to keep my son from knocking the entire thing over.  Then, I put the lights on, with my son hovering just under my elbows the entire time, asking, "Now can we put the ornaments on?  What about now?  Now?  Ornaments, now?" until I scream. 

By the time I get out the ornaments, my patience is shot, and my son is hyper as heck.  Of course, he wants to put on all the breakable ornaments, and he moves at the speed of light. By the time my fiance gets home, he hears, "Stop that!  Put that down!  Don't put that over there!" Be careful!"  He takes one look at me and says, "Well, aren't you festive?"  Then I feel bad.  I don't mean to snap, but I think the pressure of having this 'perfect' moment gets to me.  But the tree did turn out pretty good, and I think my son still had fun. It must be something about the tree, because I don't think I get so snippy duirng other Christmas activites. 

My fiance has some really cool antique decorations he got from his Grandma.  One is a ceramic Christmas tree with little colored bulbs you put into the holes yourself.  My son loves to help out with this job.  It is very pretty when it is lit up.

We also have a neat old light-up Santa face.  My fiance is absolutely fascinated with these things, and was

delighted to find this one a few years ago.  He leaves it on all night, because that is one of the only decorations his family had when he was growing up, and that is what they did with it.

I am living in a split-foyer home right now, and there is a wall by the steps leading to the upper level that just begs to be decorated.  I hang lights and plants from this wall whatever the season.   I love to walk inside and come up next to the twinkling icicle lights and the beautiful wreath. 

Now, I am mostly done with the decorating, and we are on to baking and shopping this week.  I am going to have to start exercising or I am going to gain weight with all this holiday eating.  Today I noshed on homemade chex mix.  I hope all the outside work I did today will help burn that off.  I love Christmas though, in spite of the extra stress, and I look forward to spending the holidays with my friends and family.