Nothing says...

Love at home like decorating the tree for family home evening. This annual event is so painful. Each and Every Year. Husband has his grouch on before the thing is even out of the box. I never can decide if it's best to give a little advance warning to warm him up to the idea ahead of time or just spring it on him the second he walks in the door. I opted for advance warning this year. I thought two days was ample time to gear up- I was wrong.

There are a few reasons he puts the lights on the tree. First of all, he is a perfectionist when it comes to things like that. It always looks fantastic when he's finished. Secondly, I don't want to do it by myself...it's a huge pain. The good news is that we now have a child old enough to take over my job of holding the string of lights. This is a really good thing, he doesn't take it nearly as personally as I do when we're mad simply because we are standing in front of a tree holding lights.

The rest of the kid's are banned from the room, let me rephrase that, not just the room- the entire area. Considering the level of frustration emanating from the front room; it's not such a bad idea.

Knowing how much my dear husband hates putting lights on the tree and the fact that he does it every year any way is a real testament to how much he loves us. He really is such a good sport. I suppose if I wanted to reciprocate I would go buy a pre-lit tree. Unfortunately for him I'm a firm believer in the old "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" saying.

Once the lights are on it's time to decorate. I sit with all the ornaments in my lap and pass out each one individually to it's rightful owner who then places it on the tree. The trouble comes when I get to the ornaments from my childhood. Well, you know I determine who puts on what according to who my favorite children are. Or so you would think.

In the end they always say, "What- that's it? I thought we had more than that."

This scenario is basically the same every year. And yet my kids are excited about it. Every year. That fact alone tells me it's much more painful for me then for them-- we must be doing something right. (Sometimes I'm really glad kids have such a selective memory.) I guess a little Christmas music in the back ground, reminiscing about the history of each ornament and a treat at the end goes a long way.