OK, the topic line is to get attention, but this is not a D&D thread... Why does all that holiday stuff come so @#%#!! easy to some people? I'm just now starting on cards, still have a bit of shopping to do, I'm in the middle of making Christmas cookies, and still putting up decorations. The tree isn't even completely decorated yet. I was trying to put up some lights and there's never a good place to put them, especially the outdoor ones. The cords are never long enough and don't have the right number of prongs. It took me several tries before I could get one of them hooked up properly. Finally, tonight I was hanging a window decoration and broke the window. (It already had a hairline crack in it, but I didn't think anything like that would happen. Give me a break. I don't have a lot of experience with windows and stuff.) (By the way, if your wife breaks a window or something and is already upset about it, here are some things not to do: ask her why she's upset, or tell her she did something stupid. Absolutely nothing constructive will be accomplished by this, and a good deal of something destructive. You guys could always help with the decorations yourself for a change.) So what's next - burning down the house? With my few stupid-looking lights that look so pathetic compared to the other houses? And, if you get close, are held up with duct tape? Looks like my decorating ability ended when I quit living in apartments and dorms. Enough about me. Post your holiday horror stories in this thread.
Isabel 1) I hang up our tree, decorate it, and hang up lights each year. My wife helps. Daughter giggles. It's not "women's work" - you're getting a raw deal. 2) Develop systems. For example, every year we setup tree and lights on Thanksgiving weekend. This way, any family that's spending Thanksgiving with us can help, and we aren't fighting all the shopping crowds. Keep all your lights in the same box. When you have 'em placed just right, take digital pics of it so you can get it right next year. Build systems and stick to 'em and you'll get stuff done promptly each year. 3) Don't get wrapped up in the "other houses look better than mine" mindset. It doesn't take much. Any lights at all is a million times better than nothing. -- droxford
I start on Thanksgiving weekend too and we usually don't finish until Christmas. I'm always thinking I could use little more light on this side of the yard. Every day I see an ornament on the tree that I don't like any more and have to move it. I also find new favorite ornaments and reposition them to my favorite spot on the tree, bottom left this year. Don't buy Christmas lights before Christmas, do it afterward when they are cheap and use them next year.
That's how I get ALL of my holiday decorations... And not just for Christmas... Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day.... It's the only way to go!
Here's how I make it easy at my family's house: Conversation on Thanksgiving: Mom: "drapg, do you want to help me put up the tree this year. Your sister and dad don't want to." drapg: "Sure, let's do it." Mom: "Will you also help me take it down?" drapg: "I won't be here when it has to be taken down. I'll be in L.A." Mom: "OK, let's forget it and go play some Dr. Mario" As for gifts, our family decided we were too old to give gifts about 5 years ago. Lights? Never done them. No desire to take them down. Christmas cookies? My mom whips them out by the dozen every Saturday. Compared to making 10 intricate Indian dishes every Saturday to last for my family for the whole week, x-mas cookies are a freakin' breeze. Cards? My dad cranks out about 100 cards to family and friends in a three-hour span on a Sunday while watching TV. There's the way to address x-mas. Be lazy!
LOL I am too lazy to start a thread about my hatred for winter so I will address it here with this post. Today, in f*cking southern middle Tennessee, we finally get a break from all of the f*cking Arctic blasts that have CONSTANTLY been making its way down this far. But by Friday or Saturday, we are going to have a low of 9, LOL. Today is the official start of Winter, yet we have had windchills in single digits. I guess it could be worse in that we will be getting ice or snow (snow is better than ice obviously), but it really sucks to have 3 or more consecutive days where it feels colder than 20 degrees. And hell, we still have to go through 2+ more months of this!
I help with the tree and hang all the outside lights. Sounds like you are getting a raw deal. My biggest problem with christmas, and holidays in general is the scheduling of mulitple familys and visits. It always seems like I'm the one having to do the traveling. When I was a kid and my parents divorced it was christmas with dad then jump in the car and chirstmas with mom then over to grandma's. Now add my wife's family to the mix and you have a big clusterfark. Why can't the people come to us for a change? Next year I swear I'm getting drunk on chrismas eve and losing ALL the car keys until the New Year.
I do the outside lights and my wife and kids do the christmas tree and inside decorations. Ferdinand needs to get up off his arse and help you out. Oh Merry Christmas.
I love this time of year. The Holidays .... family, decorations, music, toys for the kids, special events, fall colors, cool weather, snow would be a plus... If it weren't for work, it'd be perfect.
I hate trying to live up to "expectations". When you do stuff just for the fun of it, it is fun. We bought all of our family presents and all the stuff we were "expected" to buy then we decided that we were going to buy presents for the 4 boys of a co-worker of my wifes going thru a divorce and for the grand-kids of our neighbor (also in the middle of a divorce). We deliverd them this weekend so we wouldn't interfere with their family Christmas stuff. I am sure they will be the 2 most rewarding gift giving experiences. I wish I could find a way around doing stuff because I'm expected to. That "expectation" takes the fun out of it.
**** you, Sam! j/k - ain't got nothing but love for you, man! BTW - you should come back to our OOTP sim. We are having an extended break since Zac (he took over for Heath as commish) is out of school. Some good teams available such as your Cubbies.
If you are saying Ferdinand actually said you did something stupid, I'm surprised he isn't stuffed up the chimney right now. I could not imagine saying anything like that to anyone, let alone my wife while she is working on OUR decorations. Sheesh. I am usually the one to put up decorations anyway.
LOL! Kinda like how I refuse to by "Dummies" books because I know that I'm not a dummy. I'll buy and "Idiot" book, but I'm no dummy.
Dude, you're mom calls you by your bbs moniker. That's got to be weird. Do you every hit her back with "drapg's mom" just to mix things up.
Well, it's December 21st and I haven't even started my shopping yet. To make things worse, I'm leaving town tomorrow for a gig and I won't be back until the 24th. Looks like it'll be another year of internet gift certificates for everyone. Every year I say I'm going to start my shopping before Christmas Eve and I NEVER do.
