I'm Gonna Wash That Scrooge Right Outta My Hair!

My friend Erin tried to be kind and subtle about it, but there was no other way to simplify her hints. In her own special way, she was telling me I'm being a Scrooge!

I'm woman enough to admit...she's right. I've been an absolute Scrooge these last several weeks. I blame everything else, of course, as any Scrooge should. After all, I've been sick since the beginning of October. Things surrounding certain members of our ward have brought out the saddies in me. And by-gummit - I REFUSE to listen to Christmas songs when I haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet!!!

Once Thanksgiving passed, however, I was still in grumpus mood. There was no tinsel in my town. No twinkle in my lights. No jingle in my bells. Not even deck to my halls (whatever that means).

I couldn't stand the thought of stringing up one strand of mini-lights. Those who have ever passed by our house the day after Thanksgiving might know how unusual this is. I typically start plotting and planning what color will wrap around which post a good week before I'm even ready to start. One year I even had the lights up before Thanksgiving so we wouldn't have to worry about putting them up the day after. Not this year.

I've Scrooged my way through the first few weeks of Christmas-time. I wanted to pull out of it. But when we've got sick kids, sick mom, and sick hubby...nothing could get me to do more than was basically necessary. Like laundry. Loads, and loads, and even more loads of laundry.

Until yesterday.

I made my friend Erin a promise to at least put up a wreath. "Do it for the kids," she said. I don't think the kids cared, to be honest, and it took me a few days of coaxing, but the wreath was finally up on the screen door. Then it just looked sad...outside...all alone. One solitary decoration in a vast yard of empty canvas. It really needed some love.

Well, thought I, you did pick up two new strands of lights. Why not just put those up? It wouldn't seem so sad and lonely then. So up they went. In the process I happened to find two other strands of multi-colored lights. Seemed a waste not to put those two suckers up. After all, they were just sitting around, all ready to be used. Why not?

As I wound the strands around a few more posts my hubby came home. "Want me to go under the house and get the rest of the lights?" "Oh no," says I. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to put these up." Not good enough, apparently, as he promptly went through the gigantic hassle of moving the dryer to uncover the entrance to the crawlspace where we spent a good ten minutes dragging up boxes of Christmas decorations. It would seem hubby likes to see the Christmas lights up as well. Know what? It turns out I was SO EXCITED to start putting them up!

Not only did I get more lights put up, as well as our outside nativity (which A seems to think is her personal life-sized play set), but lights and decorations have made their way into the house as well.

I still have a ways to go, but the Scrooge in me is finally starting to disappear.