Christmas Lights

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, our decorator-minded daughter came by long enough to rework wreathes that Barbara and I had labored on the previous day.

“They need to be fuller,” Rayanne protested, then proceeded to attach old wreathes behind our new ones.

She also added a red mesh ribbon to the outside of each wreath, “to give them more color.”

Not even the “Reindeer Wreath” that has served, for several years, as the main decoration for our guest house was suitable in its present form for Rayanne’s taste, so it, too, got a makeover. However, I managed to place the spotlights in the right places and none had to be re-staked.

No doubt, Rayanne’s handiwork was an improvement and was certainly appreciated, but I was left wondering why Barbara and I spent the better part of a day doing something our daughter would only redo.

Over the weekend, Barbara and I made more progress in decorating for Christmas. After getting our pre-lit artificial Christmas Tree out of the attic and assembled, Barbara set about placing the ornaments and bows on it, while I took a break to mulch leaves behind my sister’s house and the house of her neighbor. The temperature was in the high thirties when I started and was near freezing when I quit.

Barbara’s still adding decorations to our tree, but Jason and I are saying, “Enough already.”

He and I prefer trees not dominated by lights, ribbons, and ornaments. We like to see some of the green that is the tree. In our minds, the rules for decorating Christmas Trees should follow along the lines of life, namely, “all things in moderation.”

Sister Sue has already asked when we were going to put an angel atop the tree. Rayanne hasn’t been over to add her touches, and with the Christmas program she and the band, StillTime, will be doing in lieu of her church having a Christmas Cantata, there may not be time for her to rework her parent’s Christmas Tree.

We will have a Merry Christmas at our house, whether the decorations suit everyone or not and wish the same to all our family and friends. Merry Christmas, y’all!