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Bring on Christmas


Christmas tree
Originally uploaded by cathy.ikeda
My husband bought himself a large ticket item while I was in San Antonio. It will probably be his Christmas, birthday and anniversary gift for the next couple of years. Was I surprised? No. He's been talking about getting a stand up paddle board for months, and after 21 years, I know that once he gets an idea in his head, the result is that the thought will eventually become reality. Long story short, he set up all my trees and brought up all my boxes of Christmas stuff before I got home from Texas.

I hate shopping, standing in line, wrapping and all crafty/homemaker pursuits that are associated with Christmas. However, I love my Christmas trees an.d I love, love, love my ornaments. The only thing I love more than my ornaments are the icicle lights outside my house and the ones on the 2nd floor lanai that stay up all year long. So when Ken put up my trees and tested my lights, I didn't care what he bought, I had a job to do!

The big tree is the rotating tree. Yes, it makes noise like an old man with creaking knees, but it turns which means I can fully load it up. Two identical trees are the snowman tree and the fairy tree. The other seven trees are for the miniature ornaments. It usually takes me a whole week of grouchiness to get everything out of their original boxes, onto the right tree, etc. but this year with the trees set up and placed, it took only two full grouchy days. I probably wouldn't be so grouchy if I let other people help and Pono would love to help, but somehow, boys and men don't know how to space things out on the tree the way I want it. For example, I have three shimmery fish, 22 ornaments in the Frosty and Friends series, 4 Father Christmases, 7 Disney villains, etc. so they have to be spaced out on the rotating tree. They can't be close together and no ornaments should be too close to each other or too far away. See the problem? Even the miniature trees have themes. Either way, it's the end of Black Friday, I still have money and the decorations are done. Ken even put up the outside lights and my little lighted snowmen and candy canes in the yard, so we're ready for the Christmas craziness. Bring it on! Who cares if I'll only put the outside lights on for half an hour because of the whopping electric bill I know is coming soon. Christmas can come right now. We are not afraid!

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