The Finishing Touch

After the girls left the house on Monday I got busy decorating the house for Christmas.  I decorate by myself.  I had two fewer hours this year than I have had in the past. 

I almost got done.

The problem is that I never decorate the house exactly the same way.

I take pictures of the decorations every year.  I have learned that although I enjoy being creative, when it comes to decorating sometimes I get frustrated and I want to get done quickly.  I took a first run at it and everything looked pretty good, but I wasn't happy with a few things.  So I looked at the pictures from last year. 

I had failed to take pictures of some areas, but luckily Haley had taken a few *cough* dozen - so I could piece it together.

You might think that I could just put things up the same way every year, but I can't.  The decorator in me wants to play.  I had to keep telling her that she didn't have time.  I am racing against the clock.  I usually like to decorate the whole house and have all of the boxes put away before Haley gets home.

I didn't make it.

I didn't even get the tree up.

Haley immediately knew something was up when the bus pulled in front of the house.  My husband had put the giant wreath above the garage door.  So she came running.  She saw the front door and said "Oooooooo!  Christmas!"

She proceeded to walk around the house looking at everything, pointing at everything and saying "Ooooo..."

I asked her if something was missing.  She didn't bite. 

"Do you see a tree?"

She walked around the house again.

"Do you think I should put up a Christmas Tree?"

"Yeah." she said.

I got the tree out and put it together.  She got out the star.  I explained to her that I needed to put the lights on it.  As I went through the lights to see which ones would light up this year she grabbed a set and left the room. 

Pretty soon I could hear her Dad from upstairs saying "Take those back down to your Mom."

She brought them back and then stood and watched me for a few minutes.  Then she went in the family room and put one of the Christmas videos in that I had stacked on the floor next to the TV.  I thought about putting them in the cupboard for her to find, but I figured we were in for a marathon anyway I might as well make it easy for her.

After I got the lights and the garland on the tree I had to make dinner.  I also know from experience that I cannot decorate the tree by myself.  Haley's Big Sis wants to do it, so I left it for her.

After dinner I sat down on the couch.  Haley brought me the star for the tree.  Her Big Sis was playing a video game.  She told Haley we could decorate the tree when she finished the level she was on. 

Haley left the room.

She had occupied herself by playing on the computer.

We came in to the room and Big Sis plugged in the lights.  I put on some Christmas music and we started decorating the tree. 

Haley had the star. 

We showed her how to hang the ornaments.  She put one the tree and and that was enough.  She wanted the star on.  I told her she had to wait.  The star perches on the top of the tree in a very precarious way.  It is probably the heaviest thing we put on the tree.  If we were to bump the tree while we were decorating it the star would fall off.  I knew that Haley didn't understand that. 

She didn't like to wait, but I know that if the star fell off the tree she would like that even less.

Finally we finished.

Finally the star went on.

I am still not done, but it is good enough for the first day.  I will work on the house some more when the girls are in school.

Then I will play.