This has nothing to do with Christmas movies, so sue me.
We decorate big time for Christmas. Not heavy on the outside....wreaths on the windows, spot lights, huge Nutcrackers by the front door. But inside is a different story. And we usually have it all done before Thanksgiving, because we want it up and ready to enjoy the entire season. This year was no exception.
I was off Tuesday, the day after Christmas, and we attacked those decorations like a couple of honey badgers. With the exception of a couple of tubs to go upstairs, we were 99% back to normal by Tuesday night.
As much as I love the season, come Christmas night, looking at those decorations is nothing more than a reminder that we've got a huge job in front of us. It's done!
My parents were minimalists. Tree and that was about it. Once I got my own place (and got over the early 20s bah humbug angst) I wanted the Hallmark interior and the Vacation exterior. And I did it. It’s grown every year into something that borders on insanity.
Lighted garland over all the door frames inside. Lighted wreaths in every window — 15 on the ground floor alone. Over 100 nutcrackers all over. The moose mugs and moose punch bowl. 10’ tree. Both my dining table and breakfast table have place settings. There’s a full size leg lamp in one window. I use enough batteries to power a Tesla every year.
Outside, every bush is covered, every window outlined, animated figures in the yard, eaves (that i can reach) lined in lights, trees lit up. I usually do something strange like one year I bought a big bunch of blue lights and with styrofoam and glue and a clear plastic tarp, I created a “frozen lake” and repurposed some of my Halloween figures with clothes I got at goodwill to make a skating scene. I’ve got a Halloween dummy dressed like Griswold that hangs off the roof. Not a year goes by that I don’t blow breakers and have to rework the miles of extension cords in play. I kinda wish I’d dumped $5-6k into one of those computerized systems so I could sync it all together. I didn’t.
I’ve probably got 50-60 storage toes full of decorations for inside and out.
This is the first Christmas that both my daughters are living somewhere else. I’m, as most know, not married and don’t think I want to be. It’s a buttload of work to put all that out alone. But it was expected. My kids - and the neighbors - expected it.
I don’t think I will do it any longer. It’s so much work for nobody to see it most of the time. Me, my dog and occasionally my inconsistent friend girl are the only ones who see it all regularly.
Yeah my kids arranged huge Christmas Vacation party here and we had about 40 guests, but that was one night. And yeah, they were here Eve and Day but again, a night. Sitting here looking at all this stuff and the stack of plastic totes currently filling my garage? It’s depressing as hell. I will have to take all of this down and put it away myself. I was out of sync all season. It was the least Christmassy Christmas I can remember. I’m questioning the point.
I think I might be done with the massive decorations.
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