To tree or not to tree?
I almost didn’t tree this year. I don’t know why, the whole Christmas thing has not got hold of me. Usually I am counting the days to the first weekend in December so I can put the tree up. This year all I could think of was how much work it would be to haul out all the bits and pieces and rearrange the living room to make a space, and then have to reverse the whole process in a mere four weeks.
On top of that, I have the nanny’s room to put together - the basement bathroom to finish off (baseboards are lying in the hallway), painting the window trim on the newly-enlarged window, putting up a curtain, a closet and the bed, and finding somewhere to store all the junk that is currently nesting happily in there. All before January 14, when I go for a much-anticipated holiday to Hawaii (I just heard a radio interview on how truly ethical environmentalism means No More Airplane Trips – Heat: how to stop the planet from burning).
It just seemed like it was too much work. Samuel would never notice there was no tree for his First Christmas. Aargh. You can see it coming, can’t you? The Guilt Trip arrived with a full panoply of associated heart-wrenching images of me in my old age, deeply regretting Depriving My Only Child of his First Christmas Tree. And Samuel, by now a strapping 40 year old, looking at me reproachfully “Mother, couldn’t you have just taken an hour to do it? For me, your only son?”
Sigh. I caved in this morning, dragged out all the boxes, and the tree is up. Not lighted or decorated, but the tree is up. All nine levels and 850 points are attached and fluffed out, waiting for further action. I figure a string of lights and 8-10 ornaments about 3 feet off the ground should do the trick. Oh no, I hear another Guilt Trip gathering momentum…
On top of that, I have the nanny’s room to put together - the basement bathroom to finish off (baseboards are lying in the hallway), painting the window trim on the newly-enlarged window, putting up a curtain, a closet and the bed, and finding somewhere to store all the junk that is currently nesting happily in there. All before January 14, when I go for a much-anticipated holiday to Hawaii (I just heard a radio interview on how truly ethical environmentalism means No More Airplane Trips – Heat: how to stop the planet from burning).
It just seemed like it was too much work. Samuel would never notice there was no tree for his First Christmas. Aargh. You can see it coming, can’t you? The Guilt Trip arrived with a full panoply of associated heart-wrenching images of me in my old age, deeply regretting Depriving My Only Child of his First Christmas Tree. And Samuel, by now a strapping 40 year old, looking at me reproachfully “Mother, couldn’t you have just taken an hour to do it? For me, your only son?”
Sigh. I caved in this morning, dragged out all the boxes, and the tree is up. Not lighted or decorated, but the tree is up. All nine levels and 850 points are attached and fluffed out, waiting for further action. I figure a string of lights and 8-10 ornaments about 3 feet off the ground should do the trick. Oh no, I hear another Guilt Trip gathering momentum…
posted by zouzou at 3:20 p.m.
1 Comments:
ahh guilt ...the thing that drives us...It looks nice though. I have had the same 'enthusiam' for decorating. Hence no tree, no ornaments. Only a pointsetta that was given to me. :o)
Post a Comment
<< Home