decking the halls......

With Thanksgiving safely tucked away for another year, it's time to concentrate on the holiday madness of Christmas. Even though we are aware that it comes the same time and same day EVERY year... it always feels like we are never ready for it to have come so fast. Didn't we put away the ornaments and lights just last week? How did a whole year zing through in that short amount of time? How was it that I wasn't paying attention?

My tradition is to put up the tree and lights on the first weekend of December....... unlike the neighbors who like to start their lawn decor the Friday after Thanksgiving. Eager beavers, to be sure. Well, who can blame them if they have the time and manpower.... besides, the neighborhood association awards a whopping gift card (worth $25.00) to the coolest display of the neighborhood. I've never won.... and am convinced it's rigged. Anyhoo....... back to the point. I don't adorn my yard with the lighted reindeers or blow-up Santas. Strings of white icicle lights drape from the facia of my house, a nice wreath hangs on the door, and we put a few colored lights on the bushes in front of the house. All very simple, and all within taste, as I abhor anything real flashy for me. However, I do like to see it at other houses.... and sometimes the flashier the better. I must admit that viewing these displays during the day make them come off silly and too contrived..... but in the stillness of the night, driving by, they give off a magical vision.

I've had the opportunity to drive through some of the classier neighborhoods in Atlanta..... you know, the ones where the houses are dressed to the nines with perfectly hung lights, and wreathes on every window. The occupants of the address never do the work themselves, as they always hire out for this position. Of course the effect is spectacular. Then there are the littler neighborhoods like my own, where it is quite obvious we take on the responsibility ourselves. We only have one Clark Griswold in the group.... a man who takes decorating for the holidays far beyond traditional. I would like to see his electric bill at the end of the month, as I'm sure the dials never stop turning and have an accelerated pace to them, especially at Christmas. This particular gentleman dresses up his house for ALL the holidays.... yup, even Valentines Day. The display is complete with holograms, statuettes, blinking lights, and signs. It appears a little over the top, but keeps us amused all the same. I'm only too grateful he lives far down the street from my house... and better yet, not across the street from me. The light show would be deafening.

Every year I find myself in search of the perfect victorian tree. It must be thin, not too tall, and be able to fit into a small area I have reserved for it in my livingroom.... AFTER I move furniture and houseplants to arrange for the spot. Lucky for me, I can spot my Charlie Brown tree within the first few minutes of trolling the rows upon rows of cut trees. And every year, I vow to scale down a bit, perhaps get an even smaller tree, but once the ornaments and lights are out of their boxes, I can't help but get into the spirit of setting up decorations everywhere. (I usually reprimand myself when it's time to take it all down... but don't we all?) I did run across some really nice table-top trees at a local nursery this year, and am still tempted, but I do adore a tree that goes from floor to ceiling, and would still miss not being able to put up ornaments my son and I have collected over the years.....well, mostly me. We did the little traditional thing of hunting down the perfect "new" ornament for many years when he was a child.... at 20, it's no longer a priority for him. However, we did good over the years, as each one has a story of it's own for being chosen. Doesn't everybody have ornaments like that?

So the first weekend in December is already here, and somewhere between juggling twenty Christmas parties and plenty of last minute executive luncheons, I plan to get myself in gear to decorate the house. Since hubby is a ladder-climber, he has the honors of icicle placement on the facia. I plan to be ground supervisor, official tree trimmer, and nativity scene placer, while my son has the honors of setting up the village we add houses and people to each year. By the time we're through, my house has taken on every sense of the word: decorated. The fresh scent of pine permeates the air, Santa and snowmen faces peek out from under the tree limbs to wish all a wonderful season with their smiles.........Christmas red and green is everywhere, and my livingroom takes on an animated look. Many times I get up in the middle of the night to just stare at the lights, in the silence of my home. It is a peaceful and magical time..... a time to reflect, and a time to have a few moments with a cup of tea and my God.