Ready for Christmas

We've been ready for Christmas for a while. My partner has a wonderful eye for decorating for the holidays. I tend to favor old family heirlooms that I inherited, and which decorated our family Christmas trees when I was growing up. My tastes, one could say, are odd and eclectic.

My partner, on the other hand, has style and grace. He likes Christmas trees to show some pattern of uniformity and symmetry. He has gone to stores for after-Christmas sales to get ornaments of the same size, shape, and style. For me, I don't shop, and I don't really want "same-same-same." I'm the kind of guy who pulls out an ornament that had hung on our tree when I was a kid, and will wipe away a tear as I tell a story related to the ornament. I'm just a sentimental old fool, where my partner and Martha Stewart would have more in common when it comes to decorating.

Further, I grew up with having a cut "real" tree every year, or cutting our own at a tree farm. But over the last few years, since my partner's disability has prevented him from going with me to pick out the tree, he has complained about how "funny-looking" and asymmetrical the trees were that I brought home. Having had enough of his complaints, last year I put my boot down and told him that I wasn't getting any more cut trees. We went out the day after Christmas last year and bought a pre-lit artificial tree, which we put up for the first time this year. I'm still adjusting to it, but it looks nice, and I don't have to worry about keeping it watered or its dropping needles all over the place. And it sure has a lot of branches for ornaments! I miss the fresh-cut tree smell, though (and artificial scent sprays just don't do it for me.)

Our compromise, besides having an artificial tree this year, is that my partner hangs his symmetrical and well-"designed" ornaments on the side of the tree that faces outside, where it can be seen from the street. I hang my family heirloom ornaments on the inside, where I can see them and tell their stories. We are both happy.

Well, the stockings are hung, the wreaths are wrought (I mean, hung), the rest of the holilday decorations are all in place, so now it's time to get down to baking. More on that in future blog posts.

Life is short! Show those you love that you love them!