Merry Lights of Christmas!

Strangely enough, or maybe sadly enough is more appropriate, this is the year that I have no out of control Christmas-decorating stories to tell, no near deaths, no head-lock wrestling over what goes where, and no arguing about just how much is too much lighting before it becomes tacky. As I’ve already said, I’ve been sick since the week of Thanksgiving, and I swear I’m not trying to play it for all its worth, but it is STILL going on! I really do feel much better, but I’m still coughing and my voice is still pretty sketchy; it comes and goes as each day wears on. 

We always put up our decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving, I was dead in the middle of near death at that point and can honestly tell you, I could have cared less. But my husband, being the sweet man he can be, decided he and my youngest son would put up the inside decorations for me, instead of me, and I would just watch. Well, believe it or not, that’s exactly how it went; I sat in my recliner and grunted the instructions when asked, and it all got put up just as pretty as always, without me lifting a finger.

We didn’t however put up the outside lights and I honestly didn’t think we even would. My husband worked out of town the two weeks after Thanksgiving weekend and there just wasn’t enough time. At first it bothered me, we have always put up some form of outside lights, every single year that I have had children at home. But you know, things change, kids grow up, the only child left at home now is grown and rarely here enough to count, and we’re older ourselves; so when does it no longer seem important enough to do it anymore?

I’ve heard people for years talking about down-sizing their trees and decorations. Putting up those table-top trees, or in some cases none at all. I could foresee maybe a smaller tree in our future, but no tree at all? The weekend that my guys took over the decorating, even as bad as I felt, it seemed to make me feel better to see it all lit up and done. Having nothing to look at for the whole month of December, well I don’t even know how that could ever feel like Christmas. The trees, lights and decorations are not just for children, they’re for all of us. Trees loaded down with decorations that have either been made by your children or bought in special places at special times, all with meaning and love.

Yesterday I spent the day with one of my best girlfriends from home and we finished up the last of our Christmas shopping together. I had a wonderful time, but when I got home, I had another wonderful surprise. My husband and son had strung lights-up on the outside of our home; my Christmas will be complete after all and I wish the same Merry Christmas joy to each of you.