The Undecorated Tree

                                    

The season is upon us, and my tree sits undecorated in the living room. It needs lights, and the lights are the hardest part of tree decorating... for me. I wouldn't mind putting them up so much if I had cheerful help, but my other half does not like putting up the lights... or the tree for that matter.

For us, putting up the lights on the tree is very much like hanging wallpaper. We did that for the first time in our newly built home about twenty-five years ago, and came perilously close to divorce. I kid you not. Hanging wallpaper with your spouse is not encouraged, unless rules about who decides what is established well in advance. Much like playing a game. You must know the rules, and you must agree to follow them.

I didn't explain my rules to him, and he didn't quite explain his either, so with two separate rules to follow, we attempted to wallpaper our bathroom. I had my ideas about how to hang the paper, he had his. I had my thoughts about how to line up the edges of paper, he had his. I thought we should remove the floor trim along the wall, he thought he could do it neat enough without removing it. We both were at our wits end by the time the job was finished, and neither of us were happy with the results. Twenty five years ago.

We both agreed, happily, that all future wallpaperings would be done by a professional. That has been the one rule about hanging wallpaper that we both agreed upon and have adhered to over the years. I've been much happier paying someone else to do the job, and not having to deal with the disagreements caused by hanging wallpaper.

Hanging tree lights is rather like that for us. I have established my rules, and he has his rules. I like to take my time as I hang them, play some Christmasy music, make sure the strands are distributed evenly around the tree. I like using blue and white lights, or all blue, or all white. I like the little miniature lights. He likes to get them up asfast as he can and get it over with, he doesn't care about colors used, and prefers multi-colors. He doesn't like to put as many strands of lights on the tree as I do. In the past, we have gotten through the light-hanging mostly in a disgruntled mood, and that is not how I want to feel during tree decoration.

I'd do it alone if I could, but that is very difficult. My son used to help me when he was home. If I could just have a pair of happy hands to hold the lights as I hung them on the tree. Or I'd be the happy hands holding the lights while another arranged them on the tree without getting angry or frustrated.

So, our tree sits in the living room waiting for someone to decorate it.

I couldn't tackle it this weekend due to a horrendous headache that forced me to bed early each evening. Even now it threatens to disable me if I don't go to bed soon. It won't keep me from school, however ... I can endure all sorts of evil discomforts and still teach. Somehow, I can perform satisfactorily in the classroom when threatened with the option of getting a substitute, and having to write plans for her to follow. It requires more work on my part to prepare for a sub, and to find a sub, than it does for me to pretend I'm not ill and do it myself. This is not a comment against subs, but it's twice as difficult and takes three times longer to plan for someone else to teach my kids than for me to plan to do it myself. And when you are ill to begin with, you don't feel like planning for someone else to step in and take over.

I'm off to bed to see if I can get rid of the headache.

One day this week, I will get the tree decorated. <grin>

Thank you Donna for the graphic above ... I love it!