1/2 Off Christmas

I have had one of those holiday prequels which has led me to believe that laughter is going to be essential to enjoy this most special holiday season. I have taken every caution as I put out the decorations to this point to make sure things like the lights all come on, the hooks are all in place, the candles are all in good condition. But what is that you say, if I have taken all these pre-decorating steps how is it possible to have a problem? Let me "splain!"

So first, I drug out the indoor Christmas tree. This meant pulling it from it's box, putting it together and then painstakingly "fluffing" the branches. My first clue was when the branches began coming off in my hands. Then I carefully wound the string of pretested lights around the tree. Then my son and I hung the ornaments with care. So far so good. We plug it in and "Viola" It is good. Until my sons gaze slowly reaches the top of the tree where he declares "there is no star. Where is the star? We must have a star!" Okay star on the list. So we move on.

Then I pull out the outdoor lights. You know the ones; long, tangled despite the twist ties, icicles all kinked up. I test the strands and when it appears we are good to go I sit and untangle the cords and straighten every little icicle. Really, who makes these things? My dear husband comes out to help put them up and we plug them in and it is good. So I get the outdoor tree out and put together. I then test those lights and indeed we are going for gold. I take the final steps to link them all together with the extension cords neatly hidden and I am done. Until my son sees the tree and his gaze goes slowly to the top where he declares "there is no star. Where is the star? We must have a star!" You are not going crazy, you have read this conversation already. See how my world works? I just apparently am plagued with a starless Christmas. So it is added to the list and we move on.

A short time after darkness falls, we light the tree and switch on the lights. It is good.......or is it? You see, I either have the slowest blinker in the world or the top section of the indoor lights (a single strand) are shorting out for long periods of time. But the star we purchased stays nicely lit at the top highlighting the dark gap in the middle. We decide to let it go. When it blinks on once every hour or two it is beautiful. Then we step out to admire the outdoor lights where we discover by day 2 that the end segment of the icicle lights has gone out (a portion of the long single strand)and as I chuckle about this I turn to see the BOTTOM half of the outdoor tree lights out (another long single strand!) But the star we purchased stays nicely lit at the top highlighting the darkness at the bottom...actually looks rather like a table tree floating in the air at night!

So I have decided a few things: The halves that are lit are beautiful! and if we put all the pieces together they make a single solid tree with overhead icicles lights. I have also decided that while thankfully Christmas lives year round, my lights and trees are condemned to die post this season of joy which will bring me great joy indeed! And I also came to be grateful as I realized the fact that some people have no decorations and limbless trees just like in the Peanuts Christmas movie A Charlie Brown Christmas. So it is a matter of making lemonade out of lemons or in this case realizing I can celebrate Christs birth with my humble tree and lights. It is all good!