Plot Monkeys

One of the bad things about being on a hellacious deadline during the holidays is that you miss a bunch of fun stuff. Two of the moms I hang out with after school are both university students. One will soon be a nurse, the other a teacher. Today, being that their semester ended yesterday, they went out to lunch. They invited me and you have no idea how much I wanted to go. But I had to work.

Bah, humbug.

However, one other advantage of being on deadline at the holiday time (for those who are looking for silver linings) is that you can, on occasion, get out of chores you HATE.

For me, that would be decorating the tree.

Now, let me say that I spent many years and a lot of time and money designing my tree. It pretty much looks the same from year to year, but I love the way it looks when it is done. It’s a Victorian tree to go with the antique Victorian furniture that is in my formal livingroom, inherited from my husband’s grandfather as well as pieces from my aunt, who is still alive and very much a knowledgable antique collector. All of the ornaments are in pink, light green and pearl. The garlands are beads and ribbons. I even have pink Santas! I have birds–lots of birds–in either pink or white (the swans are my favorite) or minty green.

The collection is amazing. My favorite is this Victorian fairy that I won at one of TARA’s famous Christmas parties. Isn’t it gorgeous? It is sort of fun to go through my ornaments and remember which ones were bought when or who gave me this or that, but I relive those memories while I’m unpacking. Putting them on the tree is a different matter entirely.

Luckily, the daughter is at the age where she is finally old enough to handle all the glass and handblown ornaments and is still excited to do Christmas. So she did it this year and I’m so proud of her!

I suppose I could spend time regretting how we didn’t do this task together, thus enjoying a seasonal tradition of mother/daughter time. (My husband puts up the tree and helps with the lights and then he’s done. He does the entire outside by himself, so he gets a pass.) But I’m looking at it on the positive side so I can avoid the guilt that is so a part of my nature. I was just in the other room while she decorated. I popped in fairly regularly to give her both tips and praise. We put the star on as a family. It’s a good thing.

And it’s even better because I didn’t have to do it!

Here’s another favorite ornament…which I was surprised wasn’t buried at the bottom of the tree somewhere because while my daughter likes to take pictures, she isn’t crazy about looking at them afterward. I do not ordinarily post pictures of my daughter, but this one, I think, is safe because you can’t really see much…except her open mouth! She’s actually dressed as an angel. It was taken on the beach in Key West about four years ago (maybe three) and she was yelling about something. I mean…can this kid be more like me or what?

I’ve been praising and thanking her all night for taking on this task–one I’m very particular about (lights first, then garlands, then glass globes, then specialty ornaments, then birds, then flowers, then icicles) but that I do not enjoy doing. Christmas just got easier…even if just for one night, thanks to the Christmas enthusiasm of a child and the blessings of her teacher, who did not assign homework.

Which tasks at the holidays do you dislike…and how can you pawn them off on others?

Ahhhhh…’tis the season!