Sunday 13 December 2009

Right before schadenfreude* turns around and bites me in the arse.

On reflection I am beginning to think perhaps I have this Christmas thing sussed.

Don't get me wrong. Presents still need to be found (and identified for CK - aaak!) and cards written and actually sent. But this weekend we have hung lights, advent calender, shiny dangly accordion stylee decorations and tinsel.

I am not a particularly fussy type person, I think this is an accepted given, but I always decorate the Christmas tree.

For years the reason has been the kids were too young and some of the ornaments made when they were really little, these are just too fragile for all but the most tender touch. Truth? I claimed it as my own and defended my position valiantly. However this year the reins were passed across and now our Christmas tree and hallway look like an elf has bomited Christmas at high velocity.

For some reason they focussed on a single quadrant of the tree but it was done with discussion and suggestion rather than argument so I let them get on with it. The most heat came when trying to figure out whose angel was due to go on top this year. Next time I looked destructoBoy's 'staff of power' from last week's school play was firmly ensconced. Somewhat disconcerting as I type I must say.

It has been a real adventure opening the boxes of decorations, two years since we last had the opportunity. Obviously there was no point making the house all festive last year for my bastard b-i-l.

In all it was a (mostly) pleasant way of spending a weekend; once the house had been restored to some semblance of order it ended with all of us sitting together laughing our way through 'Elf'.







*schadenfreude ISN'T the word I want but the one I am after is rolling around on the edges of my consciousness. Anyone???

6 comments:

  1. Ahhh it must the year for allowing our children to decorate the trees. Like you I defended my position and when I did have to give it up - I waited until the kids were finished "decorating" and in bed then I would change things. This year there was too much happening, my mind wasn't on it and darn it the kids can make the mess and clean it up afterwards...vbg. In the end they had chairs in various positions around the tree and walked around hanging decorations all the time. So much easier on me and they had a ball.
    Aren't you glad the Christmas tree decorating only comes once a year.....evil grin.

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  2. You did better than me - I made them stay away while I did the lights and tinsel - I have control issues with lights and tinsel - and then let them do the rest. They loved it as they even got to use the purple glittery plastic santa!

    We also laughed our way through 'Elf' - fab movie :)

    xxx

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  3. *backing away from the leyboard least my fingers take it upon themselves to type something along the lines of "wow - when you and CK go off religion, you reeeally go off religion!"*

    ps: We haven't gotten our tree yet however, it has been decided that it will be "planted" in TLG bedroom (!) this year :)

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  4. Oh that's so funny! I was reading your words - about how you ALWAYS decorated the tree - while looking at the photo of said tree, and was feeling incredibly puzzled. Or is that perplexed. Or just down-right confused. You see, I thought the photo you were showing us was YOUR careful tree decoration and I was beginning to think that maybe you should really have handed over the reins to someone with taste and restraint. What a relief it was to read on......

    Locket xx

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  5. That tree is exquisite I tell you. The all seeing eye is the next trend for 2010, along with putting all the decs on one side. I read it in a magazine so it must be true.

    The word you are searching for might be wasserbuffel (water buffalo). They have a nasty habit of biting one in the arse. On the up side the mozzarella's good.

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  6. You are SOOO darn funny! Good for you for turning over the reigns -- the tree is beautiful. I always did it myself (no one really cared in a house of boys), and now I'm sorry. I'd like the help now -- I should have trained them better in the early days!

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