OCD DIY

Being that we're less than 2 weeks from Christmas, and my focus is on finishing up orders and other things that take precedence, I asked the kids for help with making the house merry. This is the first time in ever that I've done this. I'm a definite do-it-yourselfer in the Christmas department. There is a certain way things need to be. Non-whiny is my first choice, of course. If you're going to decorate for the holidays, you should be joyous while doing it.

Although, I didn't let the kids help when they were toddlers, and they were most certainly joyous then. They joyously pulled all the ornaments out of boxes and rolled them across the floor. They joyously put their favorite handmade ornaments on the tree before I even had a chance to get lights on, much less garland. They joyously helped with lights, entangling everything and threatening to pull the tree down with the strings of glowing merriment.

For this reason, I chose to decorate when the kids were in bed. I just didn't have the patience to deal with that kind of joy.

So I've always done the holidays myself. Even when I added a few more trees (yearly), and adding to the work load, I did it myself, because I'm a do-it-yourselfer. These ornaments go on this tree, those ornaments go on that tree... you know, stuff that would stop the world if it happened differently than it's always happened in the past.

So I am a little OCD with things, okay? Are you judging?

This is the year, however, when I decided that not having the big tree up, and nothing decorated, would be far worse than not having things done right, so I enlisted the kids help. The boys were in charge of strictly following orders on what needed taken to the basement to make room for the big tree, and bringing said big tree up to fill the newly vacated spot. Boys need strict instructions. Even with explicit detail given, they failed to follow directions. See why my head explodes and I just want to do things myself? They also, accidentally, kicked a dog down the steps. I nearly, accidentally, reciprocated the favor.

I put Becky in charge of decorating. She's 3 days in, and not done yet, because I have a lot of stuff. Just... stuff. A lot of stuff. I love Christmas stuff a lot. She has 1 tree decorated, and the set of mini quad trees done. She has the house looking kind of like Christmas barfed everywhere, which is how it should look. She has a few more boxes of things that may or may not get put out, and a few trees to decorate yet, but she's making great progress. And you know what? The house looks fabulous. It's not the way I'd have done some of the things, but it's sure nice to have them out. And mixed up a bit is okay. Not right or wrong, just different. I kind of like a new perspective on the decor. I'm thinking I should now just put her in charge of all decorating.