no elves on shelves, no sir
Dec. 20th, 2014 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fufarawWe got the outdoor decorations done weeks ago, neighborly peer pressure being what it is.
The family tradition in OH's family was to put the tree up on Christmas Eve when the children were in bed, stuff the stockings and put the presents under the tree. Considering that we hid the presents at OH's office because we had intrepid and unrepentant snoopers, and he brought them home, with the best tree he could find on Christmas Eve, and we put up the tree, trimmed the tree--to his mother's exacting three-ornaments on every branch standards--wrapped all the gifts (after putting any that needed assembly together), put them under the tree, and stuffed and hung the stockings... There were a few years in there where we didn't sleep at all until late Christmas Day afternoon.
My family's 'put the tree up sometime after Thanksgiving and take it down January 2' seemed so much more reasonable. Now, the schedule is, get the outside stuff up as soon after Dec. 1 as I can talk him into it, get the tree down from the shed loft and let the box sit in the dining room for a week or so before pulling the tree out, fluffing up the limbs, and plugging it in. Only then remembering that oh yeah, one of the sections of lights was out last year. OH went through the tree trying bulbs to find the culprit, with no success, and it was only then I remembered pulling upper lit branches down and lower lit branches up to disguise the black hole last year, and did that again this year.
So the tree is up, lit, and mostly decorated. There are a few ornaments that were packed in the wrong box that still need to go on it, and the candle clips and candles. Then I can put down the tree skirt and move the antique red painted hooded doll cradle with the bear, bunny, and patchwork quilt under the tree, along with the antique English market basket holding Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the wrinkled knees (and a tiny handmade Raggedy pair made and sent c/o the magazine that ran my articles on repair & restoration). There's the pull toy with the spacemen in their rockets circling the globe the kids played with, and the Brio pulltoy of painted wooden balls, jointed so it moves somewhat like a caterpillar, something like a slinky. But bright and festive! There're the Santa hats for Dougal and Truman. Rodney the Reindeer is already flopped over the foot of the crib next to the tree. Now it's just a matter of getting the Santa figures OH painted placed to best advantage, candles and greenery, ditto, and we're more or less done.
I'm sending checks as presents, and no, they're not in the mail yet. And I need to order presents off his Amazon wish list for the last child on my list. I *just* found out his mom appropriates any money I send to him, which makes me furious, since he's effectively gotten nothing from us to mark occasions for *years,* now. So I should get on that, so he will have something to open.
H just made oatmeal walnut butterscotch cookies--very nice, but I prefer the oatmeal walnut cranberry ones--I like the little bite of tart fruit (minds out of the gutter, you!). So, I should get a class of cider and do the Amazon thing, before finishing the tree. Yup, here I go. Right now.
The family tradition in OH's family was to put the tree up on Christmas Eve when the children were in bed, stuff the stockings and put the presents under the tree. Considering that we hid the presents at OH's office because we had intrepid and unrepentant snoopers, and he brought them home, with the best tree he could find on Christmas Eve, and we put up the tree, trimmed the tree--to his mother's exacting three-ornaments on every branch standards--wrapped all the gifts (after putting any that needed assembly together), put them under the tree, and stuffed and hung the stockings... There were a few years in there where we didn't sleep at all until late Christmas Day afternoon.
My family's 'put the tree up sometime after Thanksgiving and take it down January 2' seemed so much more reasonable. Now, the schedule is, get the outside stuff up as soon after Dec. 1 as I can talk him into it, get the tree down from the shed loft and let the box sit in the dining room for a week or so before pulling the tree out, fluffing up the limbs, and plugging it in. Only then remembering that oh yeah, one of the sections of lights was out last year. OH went through the tree trying bulbs to find the culprit, with no success, and it was only then I remembered pulling upper lit branches down and lower lit branches up to disguise the black hole last year, and did that again this year.
So the tree is up, lit, and mostly decorated. There are a few ornaments that were packed in the wrong box that still need to go on it, and the candle clips and candles. Then I can put down the tree skirt and move the antique red painted hooded doll cradle with the bear, bunny, and patchwork quilt under the tree, along with the antique English market basket holding Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the wrinkled knees (and a tiny handmade Raggedy pair made and sent c/o the magazine that ran my articles on repair & restoration). There's the pull toy with the spacemen in their rockets circling the globe the kids played with, and the Brio pulltoy of painted wooden balls, jointed so it moves somewhat like a caterpillar, something like a slinky. But bright and festive! There're the Santa hats for Dougal and Truman. Rodney the Reindeer is already flopped over the foot of the crib next to the tree. Now it's just a matter of getting the Santa figures OH painted placed to best advantage, candles and greenery, ditto, and we're more or less done.
I'm sending checks as presents, and no, they're not in the mail yet. And I need to order presents off his Amazon wish list for the last child on my list. I *just* found out his mom appropriates any money I send to him, which makes me furious, since he's effectively gotten nothing from us to mark occasions for *years,* now. So I should get on that, so he will have something to open.
H just made oatmeal walnut butterscotch cookies--very nice, but I prefer the oatmeal walnut cranberry ones--I like the little bite of tart fruit (minds out of the gutter, you!). So, I should get a class of cider and do the Amazon thing, before finishing the tree. Yup, here I go. Right now.
no subject
Date: 2014-12-21 01:47 am (UTC)We gave up on doing any lights up along the gutter a couple of years now. A little too precarious up on a ladder in icy conditions, so now we line the porch with lights and hang up our awesome waving Santa and put up a wreath and call it a day. I love for the house to be all gussied up for the holidays, but I don't want anyone to break a hip putting up lights. I am sure warmer climes have it much easier in the light putting up department.