‘Tis the Season…

I doubt that any of you would be surprised to know that on Halloween night, while all of the neighborhood was tapping on doors and filling baskets with candy, I was in a house that was dark, keeping the goblins away.

My bar-themed Christmas tree was being assembled in my room. Yes, my Christmas tree is up and lit. It has been a longstanding tradition that the first Christmas tree was put up on Halloween night.

While Katie was trick-or-treating, we were always giving out candy. Once she was done with that, we would put our bowl of treats on the porch and begin decorating the house for Christmas, which always started with the silver tree in the sunroom. Since Greg was pretty possessive of that tree, I would put up my bar tree in the kitchen.

Seriously, there was good reason for this early craziness. We hosted a Christmas party the first Friday in December and in order to get things done, without rushing around and feeling overwhelmed, we would start early. The fact that we really love Christmas meant that it did not bother us to have things up so early. We truly enjoyed the lights and the festive décor.

I’m not sure how it happened but I’m guessing it’s a family thing. My Dad loves Christmas and although he has slowed down, he marks the calendar with all of the details of which tree goes up what day, when the wreaths go up, where the countertop items will go, and so much more!

This year, I was lamenting about how much I missed entertaining at Christmas and using my things. I questioned whether or not I should just get rid of everything, knowing that I may never really have a need for those festive platters or dishes. I am confident that many of those holiday items bring me joy and I haven’t been able to let go of them.

So, as families do, mine offered to let me put up one of my trees in the front window, in place of one of Dad’s decorated trees. After careful consideration, I picked up the phone and asked Greg if I could pick up the aluminum tree. Needless to say, he agreed and the minute I walked into the house with the boxes, I was ready to get to work. My siblings helped me find the order of branches and we placed each silver twig into the corresponding holes. When we were finished, we turned on the rotating light and “Ta Da!” The first tree was up. I spent the next day decorating and although there are a few gaps, it felt great to see my ornaments that had been in storage for two plus years.

That was on October 27. October 31 was quickly approaching and soon, my bar-themed tree would need to be in place. When I got home from work on Halloween night, I went to the basement to gather my tree and the accompanying ornaments. By 9pm, the tree was up and shining brightly in my room…my own little space!

I’m determined that if it brings joy, it’s going to be part of my life! These two trees being up and ready to welcome the next few weeks of craziness and fun, gives me lots of joy!

What are you waiting for? If you love it, put it up! It’s okay if you don’t but I’m glad that you get me…and don’t judge me for getting an early start!! Let the games begin!!