Ho! Ho! Ho! or Happy Halloween!!

Okay…Okay…don’t go getting all worked up! Those of you who know me know that I am a little bit of a Christmas girl! When Greg & I were married, we had a Christmas party…a big party, the first Friday in December…regardless of where we were living. From the little 2-bedroom apartment with snacks setup in the bedrooms on TV trays, to the last house that we shared together, we had a damn good Christmas party!

As a result, we had to decorate early…we had decorations all over the apartments/houses and if we didn’t start early, we would never have been decorated in time for our party. How nice it was to be decorated early, have our party and enjoy the season.

We became “those neighbors” once Katie was out of the house. While everyone else was sitting in their driveways with their firepits and coolers, giving out candy, we had our bowl of candy on the porch, next to our pumpkin with our lights off.

However, we were in the back sunroom, putting up our first of many, Christmas trees. It became our tradition. So did the text messages from neighbors saying, “We know you are home and we know what you are doing.” LOL!  We always took a drink outside and shared some laughs…AFTER the tree was decorated!

Our holiday decorating kicked off on Halloween night. Now, it’s just what I do. Even after we were divorced, I put up my “bar” themed tree in my apartment, and followed up with a tree in each of the other rooms. I was always finished by Thanksgiving which made it so nice and stress free for me!

Once I moved back to the homestead, I told my parents that I would be putting up my tree, in my room, on Halloween. They laughed but were happy to see my bar-themed tree lit up in my room.

Well, guess what? This weekend, I’ll be decorating my little 2-foot tree on my nightstand, with its adorable bar décor. I can’t wait! My decorating days are not much these days with only my room to do, but I enjoy it and smile when I see it! In mid-November, my Dad will start his decorating and I’ll help where I can, but it will be his decorations. Mine are still in storage!

I’ve been Christmas shopping for a couple of weeks…trying to have my shopping done so I can enjoy the season. I am determined this year to STOP once I have everyone on my list. Sometimes, when I start early, I feel great…and then something else comes along and I end up spending more money because I have to get “just one more thing…”

I can have candy anytime I want, although I’m kind of past that, as I rarely buy it for myself. So Halloween is kind of lost on me now. Thanksgiving is a little different for me every year and I love it because it’s really just about the food and family. Christmas is a month of fun, so I try to maximize the time I have to enjoy it. In addition, I’m in no hurry to take it down.

Try not to judge, because I decorate early, or I enjoy those cheesy Hallmark movies in July and October. Let me have my fun and just know, if you want to put up your tree early, it’s perfectly fine! You can roll your eyes because I know you love me…despite this crazy Christmas condition I have! Hey…send pics if you start early!! Stay tuned for my pictures coming soon!!!