Christmas Spirit - Not in MY Kids

I know I said I was going to post every day, but it's the weekend!!! Do you have any idea how busy my weekends are? I wish I could say I was out having adventures and all, but it's pretty mundane. Sports, errands, home repair/maintenance, laundry, etc. Thrills a minute!

This weekend I decided I would finish putting up the Christmas tree. The Tween had been bugging me all week to get to it, as I needed to redo the lights before he could do the ornaments. The Teen has no interest in decorating - she just wants her gifts.

So this morning after I was dragged from my bed from the Toddler after only 6 1/2 hours of sleep, I thought I'd fix the tree before anyone else got up. It had been a late night for all at a Christmas party, so I knew I'd have time. Even with the Toddler's special brand of "help" I got the lights up and garland on before the Tween arose.

Tree's all set, you can start ornaments whenever you want I chirped. Great! He grabbed a box of 15 ball ornaments - well 14 since one had broken since last year - and began. And ended shortly after. He was done. What??? He couldn't be serious? Sadly, he was. TV and PS2 held more allure than helping decorate the tree he'd nagged me about all friggin' week. "You have too many ornaments," he complained.

I admit I have a bit of an ornament fetish. In a tradition I've carried over from my childhood, I have a dated ornament for every year since 1990. Actually some years I have a couple. My kids all have dated 'First Christmas' ornaments. I have ones commemorating new homes and new relationships. My 1990 ornament is the only memento to survive my first marriage "purge"; I may have torched the wedding video and album in a lobster pot while I drank a bottle of wine (not making that up - they went up in flames the day my divorce was final) but I kept the ornament. Momma Mooselet always comes through if I'm having trouble finding one as they aren't as popular here. My m-i-l has given me a lovely moose-themed Lennox ornament the last few years as a present. Can't think of a gift, give me a dated or unusual ornament. You'll be my best friend.

So I have those ornaments, plus the assorted ones the children have made me over the years, the few precious ornaments pillaged from brother Gabe who got the Christmas stash after our father died, the cheap-as-chip ball ornaments that act as filler. All of them go up on the tree. There is no such thing as too many, or too tacky. I always used to look forward to decorating the tree as a kid/teenager. I was never too old, or too cool (ok, was never cool in any sense, but work with me here). I used to find the perfect spot for each ornament; delicate ones up towards the top, less breakable ones down below so if the cat knocked it down it didn't break. The ugly peacocks had to go to the inner branches, every year. I was fortunate in that my family was much like me and we all enjoyed the process with no fights.


That gene seems to have skipped my kids, however. This picture? Not my kids. They loose interest in 5 minutes flat. It's rather depressing for someone like me, to tell you the truth, as the Husband doesn't like decorating the tree either. So there I was, by myself hanging the ornaments. Older two kids were watching tv and then swimming in the pool, while the Toddler ran about for a bit with her four pilfered Winnie-the-Pooh ornaments before crashing for a Mum-enforced nap.

"Looks good, Mum," said the Teen later as darkness fell and the tree sat in its place of pride. The Tween agreed. I'm sure they're both thinking of how much better it'll look Christmas morning with their stash underneath, but for now I'm simply enjoying the fruits of my labour with my tree full of memories.