CONSISTENCY…NOT MY MIDDLE NAME!

We have had the nicest Thanksgiving this year, just my husband and me. Possibly the best dinner we’ve ever made; it’s lucky no one was dining with us because we would have embarrassed ourselves with the happy groaning noises we made while eating. During the course of the holiday we started talking about our annual Christmas open house we’ve done the last few years, and Steven said he didn’t care if we skipped it this year. And I realized that I would love to take a year off from it. In fact, I said, I don’t care if we decorate the house either. And he agreed. So ever since that conversation, every time I think of not doing Christmas stuff I feel so darned happy. We basically have no one to please but ourselves, and this feels great for this year.

But I might want a Christmas tree, he said. So I told him about the little potted rosemary trees I’d seen at Home Depot. We decided to get one of those for the table and that would be it for decorating. And since it’s a live plant that we don’t really have a spot for in the yard, we’ll keep it in its pot and give it as a door prize for someone who visits our garden in the garden tour in May. Hooray, Christmas is all planned for.

So. I head out this morning to run errands and just check to see if there are any yard sales (you never know on a holiday weekend). There were, and at my first stop I spotted this little guy in a box of Christmas ornaments.Too cute, I thought, he can hang out with the little rosemary tree, then after the holidays he can be part of my acorn collection. That didn’t seem like too much decorating. (Must find something better to cover the pot.)

I went on my way, had a few conversations (re: tea kettles—“These days I’ve got to have one that whistles or I’m in trouble!”), picked up a DVDand a toy penguin to give away to a children’s librarian.  Met a couple of dogs who live across the street from each other and play together all day, Maggie the Lab and her Springer buddy.  

Then I stopped at one more sale. And fell in love. With a Christmas decoration. Wish my photography skills did it justice! It’s 40” tall, made of twisted wire, for displaying ornaments. The base has been bolted to a board for stability (the board looks like it started life maybe as a leaf for a dining table). The branches can be unhooked to store everything flat.It reminds me of vintage French wire things I’ve seen, but I have no idea of its age or provenance. I just know I love it. This year I’ll just enjoy it as-is, and in the future I’ll use it to display ornaments.

So the year I’m so happy not to be decorating for Christmas is the year I spend what for me was a chunk of change (more than the MCM furniture I’ve bought, less than the lawn mower!) on the biggest Christmas decoration I’ve ever owned.

I’m just thankful I’ve been married so long that my husband knows better than to expect consistency from me.

Besides, he likes it too!