It's That Time Again

Yes, it is that time of year again. The time when we get our Christmas decorations out and start putting them up.

It has always been a tradition for us to get them up early in time for our Wedding Anniversary on the 5th. We started it for our first Anniversary together and it has been that way ever since.

We got off to a good start. Down came the bedroom and dining room curtains and, whilst I was washing them, Mike cleaned the inside glass. Then he put lights up around the windows before the curtains went back again. We had truly not been going to put lights up at the front this year owing to the horrendous price of electricity. But, then we thought of Nathan and Daniel and how excited and happy they would be. Also, if you remember, we had our new windows put in earlier this year and it did not seem right not to "christen" them. We will put them on for a shorter number of hours each evening. We need some cheer, what with the state of the world economy and the terrorist attacks in India, resulting in so many deaths.

We are unable to put outside lights up this year. Our old front door used to be wood with a wooden frame. Mike had drilled a hole for the electric cable to go through. This was plugged at other times of the year. However, we cannot make a hole in the PVC and have no outside junction box. I shall miss our icicle lights but there it is. I think we will be the only ones at this end of the street this year. Our neighbour on the left has recently come out of hospital after having his artificial hip removed and a new one put in place for the fourth time. He can do little. We are acting as his keyholder and have to let nurses and physiotherapists in. Mike gets his papers every morning and also bits of shopping. He does have family and also grandchildren who are in their teens but they hardly come near nor by.

Our neighbours on the other side always used to decorate their home as brightly as we did. They moved away yesterday, out of the blue. We were told the night before that they were going - told by their son. They are off to Cornwall. They left without even a goodbye. We did lots of things for them over the years, including taking in many parcels. When they first arrived I gave her untold plants for the garden. Oh well, that is the way it goes. The new owner is a woman on her own and I simply cannot see her doing anything much. We have not seen her and do not know even her name.

Our snowman, a stalwart of many years, will sit on the porch roof because Mike can take the cable under the roof tiles and plug him into the light socket in the loft. Luckily we have discovered "Snowy" will take a low energy light bulb.

So, off to a good start - then it all ground to a halt. Becky and the boys arrived unexpectedly so everything was put on hold. I was entertained by the boys with songs about how "Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney", "We wish you a Merry Christmas " and another song about a bear hunt. Daniel sang "Jingle Bells" over and over and everytime we clapped he said " Please! - I am not finished yet". Must have heard that song over twenty times.

They ended up staying for lunch. I would not have changed it for the world but we do need to get on now. The next bit is what I dread, getting all the boxes down from the loft and going through them to find what we need. We do label the boxes every year but, somehow, things seem to get from one box into another. I remember everything I need and ask "him indoors" to get this or that. His reply is always that he did not know we had one, he has never seen it, he has no idea what to look for. I cannot get into the loft. So, the bit I dread is that we usually end up with frayed tempers and raised voices and wishing we had never started.

Of course, it all gets sorted in the end. It is always the way that taking down decorations can be done in quite a short time but finding them and putting them up seems endless.

Becky and the boys left a little while ago, we have had time for our lunches to "go down" so now we must start. It is hard for Mike lugging the boxes down and I do not know how many more years we will continue to decorate, I suppose as long as we can. Once the boys are older, we will probably just have a small tree on the top of the t.v. There does come a time when you have to stop. It happened to my grandparents and my parents as it will happen to us. For the time being we will just be happy to see some pretty lights and some glistening decorations.

Becky will be bringing the boys over on the evening of our Anniversary and the lights will all be lit by then. I can hardly wait to see the look of wonder on their faces.

Well, I hear my name being called or rather "Are we going to do this or not?" My signal to beat a hasty retreat from the computer.

By the time all the boxes are down and sorted through, it will be too late to start putting them in place so it looks like an all day job tomorrow.

Have a happy weekend, my dear friends and readers.