Decking the halls and other festive “stuff”........

   I was going to write about the month of December, the last month of the year and share a bit of research, like... it is the first full month of the meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere and the month of December always begins on the same day of the week as September and ends on the same day of the week as April. Fascinating!

   Actually what I did find somewhat interesting was that December is Latin for the word 'decem', meaning ten and during the days of the Roman calendar, there were only ten months in a year, the first month being March and the last month being December. And those long winter days following December until March were not part of any month. Makes sense to me.

   But as I continued to research the history and events of December, I kept looking at the Christmas decorations piled up in the den and decided it was time to get to work and turn the house into a holiday wonderland....or something close to it.

   Over the years we have collected a variety of decorations and ornaments, many symbolic of family fun times and memories. A number of the ornaments on the tree each year were made by our children and grandchildren, or were purchased on different trips and vacations as mementos, cheaper than a tee shirt.

   There are still some decorations that were purchased many year ago at the local Ames Department Store. Any one remember Ames's?

   Glass, plastic, cloth or some other strange composite materials, when finished, the tree is a kaleidoscope of lights and color and represents a trip through our family history.

   And just for the record, until a few years ago we would always get a freshly cut tree from the local tree farm. Four years ago we decided to purchase an artificial tree. It was a difficult break from tradition, but it has turned out to be a lot easier and cleaner and we don't have to worry about picking out that perfect tree any more or be continually vacuuming up the needles off the floor. The artificial tree looks really nice. And about the fresh pine smell, those new plug in air fresheners make it smell almost real.

   Over the years we have managed to collect many different makes, models and sizes of Santas. Some are quite old, yes antique, and each year there seems to be at least one or two new ones added to the ever increasing collection.

   My wife has made a number of Santas, modeling them from pictures on Christmas cards and holiday post cards and coupled with the others, the store bought and the ones we have received as gifts, I would estimate there to be about 150 different styles, shapes and sizes. With artificial greens and trees, the house takes on the look of a Santa's village and workshop. Now if I can just find an elf or two to help.

   Christmas is also known as the 'holiday of lights' and both inside and out the house lights up each night with a rainbow of colors. In recent years I have been wrapping the trunks of the trees in the yard with stings of colored light. That's the back yard. That's for the benefit of the wild life that passes through our yard.

   The front yard is a bit more subdued with white candle lights in each window and, for the first time this year, a wreath on the front door that lights up. What will they think of next.

   About four hours into the holiday decorating and I have barely opened half of the Tupperware containers. Over the years I have found it safer to stash the Christmas decorations in the plastic containers. First, it keeps the squirrels and mice from eating and destroying them. Second, if I keep the containers in one central location, like my garage storage area, and write the contents on the outside of the container, it provides for a bit more organization, both putting them out for display and packing them up at the end of the season. What did we do before plastic?

   It's about two thirds done now and it's time to take a break. The fire is going in the pellet stove, the late afternoon light has given way to darkness and the eggnog is ready for a bit of reinforcement. I wonder who ever discovered that eggnog and brandy go really well together?

   But finally, with the last Santa Claus in place, the final reindeer attached to one of the many sleighs, and the few remaining little pine trees grouped together, made to look like the Northwoods of Maine, it's time to flip the switch. With the last sip of eggnog and the flip of the switch, our once 'common place' living area is instantly transformed into  a bright and colorful array of 'things' Christmas, past and present. It took some extra time this year, perhaps because of the eggnog, but this year may be the best year yet, although I probably say that every year.
    So, it's one more glass of eggnog and time to relax in front of the fire. But first, what do I do with all these empty Tupperware containers?

                                     

  Who said all Santas have to wear red!