I’ll consider it a small victory if we put up the tree this year.
Can you believe it’s even an option?
I mean who doesn’t put up a freaking Christmas tree up this time of year!?
Well, you know, besides Muslims and Jewish people and those that seem to be grossly offended by the thought of putting a tree in their house because it might be tied to celebrating Jesus, which is total heresy in their minds!
Sigh.
Besides all those people- who doesn’t put up a tree at Christmas?
The correct answer is no one.
No one refuses to put up a tree at Christmas and get all festive because that is exactly what Christmas calls you to do (and share, and give, and celebrate Jesus and everything else that ties into this time of year).
My neighborhood is full of all sorts of beautiful decorations and lights. I love driving around our area at night. It goes like this:
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
OURS
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
beautifully lit house
I love Christmas! I love this time of year! When we lived in Kuwait, knowing we were coming home for Christmas was the thing that would get me through those long days. Now that we’re back I figured we’d be all over Christmas- think Clark Griswold and the house that lit up the whole neighborhood. I figured we’d be Christmas crazy, however we’re not. Not even close! We’re even thinking about not putting the Christmas “staple” up this year! One has to put up a tree!
It’s a Christmas duty.
Much like Christmas cards (which I’ll soon get to).
Not putting up a Christmas tree and acknowledging this wonderful time of year makes one a big fat Scrooge!
And who likes Scrooge?
No one.
Here it is, 7 December and we have yet to put up the tree.
This has me concerned because it is a personal tradition that the tree goes up the weekend of Thanksgiving.
The tree won’t go up today, and this week isn’t looking good either…
Which means the earliest would be next weekend- which is “so close” to Christmas that in your mind you equivocate it to being just a few days away which basically makes you feel as though by the time you take it out, you’re virtually putting it back in the same week!
Plus, since we’ve been in Kuwait the last 3 years, we don’t have Christmas decorations for our tree,so then it’s like, “do we really want to spend money to buy decorations this year when there’s a million other areas where we need to spend money?”
The correct answer is no.
So then we’re left with a simple, tall, lit Christmas tree as if it were the National Spelling Bee Finals and the poor tree was standing there all alone, trying to spell “consanguineous” with absolutely no clothes on.
A naked tree is fine this year, I suppose- but the thought of not putting it up begins to creep into my mind.
I mean, we’re not celebrating Christmas at our house this year. We’ll be celebrating with Will’s family. We only hang out with one other couple right now, so it’s not like we’ll be having any wild Christmas parties in which I will be entertaining here at the house.
Putting up the tree would simply be for my own enjoyment.
Which is good- which is important.
However… the longer we put it off, the more I wonder if we’ll put it up!
I ought to make Will do it for me this week, shouldn’t I? I really think I should.
Okay- so I feel as though talking through this situation out loud as helped me to formulate a decision:
The tree is going up dang it. I refuse to be Scrooge this year!
So then it’s Christmas cards.
Will is so adamant about not doing them this year.
I have no idea why- but he seriously doesn’t want us to send them.
What is so funny to me is that I am the one to do them anyway and he has absolutely no part in it, so I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. It’s a cheap way to say Merry Christmas to those you don’t get to see!
Will might as well start walking with a cane and top hat grumbling around about “Screw Tiny Tim!” and tripping old ladies on the street.
I feel as though if we don’t send Christmas cards this year I ought to just put a big sign in front of my house that says “Bah Humbug!”
Not only that- why stop there- but I may as well paint myself green and go around stealing X-Boxes and Pretty Pretty Princesses from the Whos in Whoville!
Boz and Lucy can be my little reindeer as I ride up and down town being the big fat Grinch!
A wife freaking HAS to do Christmas cards every year. It’s this huge big fat obligation that every woman knows exists.
Like this unspoken aura.
I’m pretty sure there’s even a big huge fat chapter in the Book of Wife devoted to the importance of this obligation.
If a wife does not perform this duty she is seen as a bad wife that doesn’t care about others or Christmas cheer or little babies in cute sweaters on Santa’s lap.
She’s worse than Scrooge!
She’s got no spirit!
I’ve tried to explain to Will the importance of Christmas cards. How people-especially the women in his family (read: his mother)- will think it’s so tacky that we failed to send them.
How they will most certainly buy me the Book of Wife for Christmas this year to ensure I never make the same mistake again.
I’ve tried to explain this all to Will, however, he just says, “I’ll tell my mom you wanted to do them but I was the one that didn’t want to.”
Which you and I know is totally silly because, as we both know, it ultimately comes back to me regardless.
Guys- help me out!! A wife has to do Christmas cards, right?
Right!?
Sigh…
To be honest, part of me doesn’t want to do them.
HOWEVER- despite that part of me I still would. I would do them because, as I’ve stated a million times over, it’s an obligation. It’s a MUST. It’s a DUTY of wifedom.
I can see myself just buying a box, sucking it up, and doing them anyway.
I mean, how silly of Will not to want to do them anyway. It’s not like I have him licking stamps or anything.
Huh.
It appears as though I’ve also made a decision about this issue too.
I went into this post wondering if we’d even freaking be enjoying a traditional Christmas tree and sending Christmas cards this year, and by talking it through have decided the tree is going up this week and I’m doing Christmas cards!
How about that!?
Not only that, but I think I ought to make him take me to the see the lights around our area.
And make eggnog.
And wear a Santa costume…
And I’ll wear a huge fuzzy over-sized green sweater with Frosty on the front and bells and a tree that really lights up!
okay- maybe not the last part.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I’m feeling Christmasy all of a sudden!
Want to come over and have a cookie exchange?
I’m going to be making myself a t-shirt that says “Scrooge” on it this year. No Christmas tree and likely no Christmas cards for us this year. How horrible is that?! I usually have good intentions, buy cards and ask for everyone’s addresses and then never end up sending them out. (hmmmmm, I kinda did that to you too didn’t I?! whoops!) So I figure I just won’t bother and then no one can be disappointed.
Kas is thinking of making festive Christmas t-shirts reading “There is no room in the inn that is my uterus” for Christmas dinner. Want one?! LOL It’ll totally match my Scrooge one