Lights and Tree
The light hanging turned out to be much less painful than I’d anticipated. Much of it actually happened yesterday when Kiki came to me and asked when we were going to hang Christmas lights. I answered that I didn’t want to deal with it yet. Then she said “I’ll do it. You have a willing worker right here.” In that moment I realized that if lights outside are important to the kids, then the kids can be involved in making it happen. I handed Kiki the box of lights and she happily tested them and then strung them into our front shrubbery. By the time she was done she was saying how she didn’t think that the house needed lights at all. Instead we could just have pretty plants. I’m pretty sure that was the cold and tired talking, but I decided not to argue.
Today the Christmas tree came out of storage and was put up in the front room. I have not touched it at all. Kiki marshalled all the kids, they assembled the tree, put lights on, strung beads, and now the tree stands half decorated because they’re all tired of doing tree. I’m sure the rest of the ornaments will go on either tonight or tomorrow.
It is nice to realize that some of our Christmas traditions now have a momentum of their own. It is not up to me to make it all go. That is good, because I don’t think I had the motivation to pull it off today.