A Tale Of Two Cities

Well.  We have hauled out the holly yet again.  Didn't we just have Christmas?  Is it really only 2 days away?
Every year I go through at least 28 decorating dilemmas.  Should I use the same old lights?  Do I put out the Santas in the same place?  Is the wreath too worn out to hang up?  Should I pack up and protect the handmade ornaments?  Or hang them? 

How do we ever survive the holidays?  I have a knack for turning the smallest decision into a huge headache. 
The traveling, the gift buying, the decorating, the entertaining... I can make it all much more stressful than it has to be.
A few years ago, I received a beautiful new nativity set.

I love it, but now I have two.  Actually, I have 4 or 5... most of which are safely stored away in layers of paper.  I still display the one we bought the first year we were married.  This set is old, and the folks are a bit worn out... kind of like us.

 

 

So instead of packing up the old sentimental set, or not using the new fancy set, I put them both out.  Two Marys, two Josephs, two babies, six wise men, two donkeys, two shepherds, two sheep, and one cow.  I told you I like to complicate things. 

The more I look at them, the more I like having two.  I suppose the scene in Bethlehem is one thing we can never have enough of.

Happy Soggy Halloween

The last few weeks (months?) have come and gone and we may never recover.  The blur of activities is winding down a tiny bit, so I decided to decorate for Halloween.

That is the sad state of my back porch, friends.  I threw away some lifeless brown plants and then regretted not moving them to the front porch for added spookiness.
Our weather forecast for the day is dreadful... pouring rain, wind, and a chance of tornadoes.  Sounds lovely for trick-or-treating, doesn't it?

Stay safe today, eat lots of candy, and leave the spider webs until tomorrow!

From Us To You

 



Half-Done Holiday

The last time I checked, it was June.
Christmas is coming whether I'm ready or not.  I prefer to be ready, but that feeling of being a little "behind" on things has been taken over by a feeling of "I am a Christmas loser."

I am not lying when I tell you I know folks who've already finished all their shopping.  Their Christmas ham is probably in the oven.

I have friends who own those pesky "Elf on a Shelf," and they've been up to their elf shenanigans for weeks now.

I received 3 Christmas cards on November 30.  Yep... November.

I just thought about ordering our Christmas cards this week.

We are the most "festive" people on our street, and we usually have lights up outside, but right now, our front porch is coldly dark.  The neighbors must think we've died.

I found the garland I like to put on the mantle, but the lights aren't working. 
You'd think I could grab a strand of lights at the store.  Have you tried to buy Christmas lights lately?  There's LED, non-LED, warm LED, cold LED, 60 light strands, 100 light strands, 50 light strands, and lights that hang themselves.  Just kidding.  If there were lights that hang themselves, my mantle would be lit.

Our tree is up, but the topper is missing.  Now that I think about it, the angel quit last year.  Quit "working," as in, stopped lighting up.  She didn't quit her job.  Maybe she did.  Maybe she went to live with a family who has their Christmas act together.

There's a song by Amy Grant called "I Need a Silent Night."
I.  Love.  It.
I'm going to change the words to "I need a silent month."

I understand the song is about the rush and bustle of the holidays; the "chaos and the noise."  But, today - as I was listening to it - I realized (for me) it's also about peace within.  Peace inside my mind.  The ability to stay quiet and calm in my heart... despite what my own voices in my head are saying. 
I not only fall victim to comparing myself to others, I fall short of my own ridiculously high standards.  Why would I do that to myself when life is stressful enough?

So if you drop by our house, the tree may be barren up top.  But this song will be on replay:

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night.

This Is Your Last Day To Be Thankful

I'm kidding, of course.  It is the last day of November, but I hope we are all thankful every day.  I know it's an area where I could improve.

The last half of our thankful wall included:

16. Noah  (the world's most adorable nephew)
17. friends
18. drinks  (This one was the boy's, and it makes him seem like an alcoholic.  I think he meant drinks like Root Beer and iced tea.  I hope.)
19. freedom
20. God
21. love
22. Subway  (Our cat, not the restaurant... although I do love a spicy Italian sub.)
23. pj's
24. friends  (Yes, it's on the list twice.  Obviously someone wasn't paying attention.)
25. funny things
26. Jesus
27. The Holy Spirit  (We got all religious-y here at the end, didn't we?)
28. Autumn  (Dan/Daddy wrote this one, and I assume he meant he was thankful for me, not the season.)
29. Elijah  (OK... who didn't read Day #4?  Come on, people.)
30. April & Daniel  (I have the best brother and sis-in-law ever.)

In honor of being thankful, we traversed across the Southeast to eat a ridiculous amount of food and to spend time with all these folks we are thankful for.

In Alabama, we gathered with Dan/Daddy's family...

 

 

There were 20 of us there, but somehow I only have pictures of football and grandmothers.  How does this happen?

 

In South Carolina, there was more football, more food, and another grandmother...

 

Apparently, in this family, we love food, football, and grandmothers.  I think I need to get more aggressive with the picture taking.
I pray your Thanksgiving was full of people and things to be thankful for.

Reign In The Elves, I'm Trying To Be Thankful

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us.
I was in a store last week, and the Christmas carols were blaring. I am a lover of all things Christmas, and I never feel like it gets here too fast. But OHMYWORD. Can we just put the brakes on a little?
One of my neighbors has a tree up and lights on her house. Meanwhile, at our porch, there's a drippy pumpkin.

I've been enjoying reading all the Facebook posts and blogs about what people are thankful for.
We have a chalkboard wall in the kitchen, and every November, we list our 30 Day of Thankful.

We all take turns writing, and it's fun to look down the wall and see who's thankful for what.
So far, we are thankful for:
1. food

2. grace

3. churchy answers... This is the boy's.  He wrote it in response to me telling him to stop giving me "churchy answers" when I ask him what he studied in Sunday School or Youth Group.  I say,
"What did y'all talk about?" 
He says,
"God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit."
He's a bit of a smarty pants, and I have no idea where he gets it from.

4. Elijah... That's mine.  I had to remind myself to be thankful for the smarty pants.

5. soccer

6. Democracy

7. technology

8. Jack Bauer... We're still deep in the throes of "24," and the world needs a Jack Bauer.  Or two.

9. lacrosse

10. family

11. Baba & Papa

12. Nana & Pops

13. Alabama football... Despite that sad sad loss to Texas A&M.

14. Krispy Kreme... Amen.

15.

I don't even know where to start on this.  On my turn - the next day - I added

16.

I'm going to need lots of it, apparently.

Happy Veteran's Day... and Football

Our favorite veteran is home today, and he has the day off.
I haven't seen him or the boy in a few hours... they headed out to play some soccer and football, so it's nice and quiet around the house.
Speaking of football, we spent most of the weekend in mourning over the Alabama football game.  College football is my favorite, and Saturday's game was no exception.  Except I wish Alabama had played better.
Congrats to Texas A&M... you guys were great.

Are you part of a big football rivalry?  What's your opinion of the "trash-talking" that goes on?
I grew up in a "football town," and my family has always been fans of a team that's part of a big rivalry. Is it just me, or do some people take it waaaaaay too seriously?  I love my favorite teams, but I do not love the nastiness.  On any side.

What happened to the love for the game?  When did it turn into
"I'm only happy when ________ loses!"

I have a friend who posted this to her Facebook page:

"Support what you love; don't bash what you don't."

Amen, sister. She's a fan of a rival team, by the way.  As a matter of fact, some of my favorite people are fans of the "other" teams. 

I'll get down from my soapbox, now.
Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served bravely.  I am honored to call some of you my friends.
I hope your team won this weekend, and I hope you have a day off, too.

Welcome November

Halloween 2012 is in the history books, and as soon as the calendar hits November 1, I start stressing about the Christmas shopping I haven't done.
We are waking up from our sugar coma, and I am also stressing about the lack of chocolate in the boy's loot from last night.  I count on that chocolate to get me through to the New Year.  I blame the tight economy on all those Sweet Tarts.

The boy went as Tony Stark... a.k.a. "Iron Man."
"I am Iron Man."

 

 

In the Avengers movie, Tony describes himself as a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."  All good things... minus the "playboy" part.  I am - after all - still Iron Man's momma.

I told the boy he should consider a real goatee one day when that facial hair hormone starts working correctly.  If an eyeliner beard and moustache look that good, imagine what real hair can do.

 

Go pick up the jack-o-lanterns and fake spiderwebs, friends.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and you haven't finished Christmas shopping.

Happy November!



Missing My Little Punkin'

We went to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend with our Youth Group from church.
I am the mom of a teenager, and that harsh reality really hits home at the pumpkin patch.
Small children are everywhere, and they are so stinking cute carrying those pumpkins around.
My friend, C, said
"I'm really missing my boys being little this year."
Ouch... I know exactly what she means.
Every year since the boy was a toddler, we've hit up the patch to pick a pumpkin.
I have pictures of him knee deep in bright orange pumpkins, riding in a hay wagon, and petting goats.
I knew it wouldn't last forever.

Little boys turn into big teenage boys.

Instead of climbing through pumpkin vines, the boy ran through the corn maze with his big teenage friends.
Instead of taking pictures, he zoomed all over the farm... acting like the goofy 13 year-old he is.
And instead of walking home with a pumpkin, he limped to the car.

He limped to the car because he was injured, and he was injured because he went with me through the "haunted woods."
You see... teenagers don't come to the Pumpkin Patch to sip cider; they come to go through "Scream Creek" in all its gory glory.
So because I am a  brave chaperone and a crazy woman, I went along.

The "Scream Creek" haunted woods were dark and scary on their own, and then all sorts of creepy things started happening.  We ran from werewolves, psychos with chainsaws, meat butchers, zombies, and a few clowns.  We tripped over roots, pushed through dark sheds with hanging body parts, and slid down a 75-foot slide.
I did it all... all while holding a death grip on the back of the boy's jacket.
He kept yelling,
"I can't breathe!  You're choking me!"
When I let go of his jacket, I held onto his arm until he wrenched it away and yelled,
"You're cutting off my circulation!!"

The worst part of the whole "trail" was a section winding through a corn field.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a dark figure chasing us. 
Being the sane, calm person I am... I whispered to the boy (who was in front of me),
"There's something in the corn."
When he didn't panic to my standards or speed up, I screamed,
"THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE CORN!!"
Then I tried to run.
Being the graceful, agile person I am... I fell.  I took the boy down with me.
One of the other chaperones behind us tried to help, but he couldn't stop laughing.
We rolled around for a second until my adrenaline kicked in.  I stood up and grabbed the back of the boy's jacket, lifting him onto his feet with superhuman strength.
I suppose we looked like prey, because the black thing in the corn burst out of the corn right at us.
Let's just say I'm glad I went to the bathroom before we got there.
Let's also say my son may never forgive me.

No matter how many times I told myself, "It's not real," I couldn't stop jumping and screaming.

The rest of the trail is kind of a blur to me.  I let go of my wounded child, and I clutched the arm of my friend, C, for the remainder of our trip through Scream Creek.
I may or may not have pulled her into a wall at some point.

When we finished the trail, everyone had a great laugh at my expense... including the boy.
As much as he fussed and complained, I know he thought it was hysterical.
It was a blast.
Except for the bruises all down the left side of my body.

I do miss the boy being little.  It seems like I miss it more every day.  He has such a fun personality, and I have enjoyed all his "stages" of growing up.
He may be a teenager, but he let this momma hang onto him all through the haunted woods.  He laughed with me and at me, and he says I wasn't even embarrassing.
He's been telling people I was the scariest thing in the woods.
As much as I miss my little punkin', I wouldn't trade these bruises for the world.

Halloween Logic

Here in our town, a sure sign of Fall is not the cooler weather nor the changing leaves.
It's the gigantic inflatable costume shop that looks like a 2-story pumpkin sunk into the ground.
I'm not sure why the costume people don't rent a building or a store.  I plan on asking them when we go in.  When we go in.

The boy and I drove past the ginormo pumpkin a few days ago, and we had this conversation:

Me:  "Are you dressing up for Halloween this year or not?"

The Boy:  "Ummm... candy."

Me:  "Very true."

The Boy:  "All these people think Halloween is for babies.  They think they're too cool to dress up."

Me:  "You aren't worried about that?"

The Boy:  "You know what I think is cool?  Coming home with a sack full of candy."


That's my boy.

The 4th Of July We All Melted

There is no good reason to complain about the heat.  But who needs a good reason?  I just need the thermometer to rise above 80 degrees... Let the griping commence.
The vast majority of our nation is broiling, and I am hugely grateful I have my AC.
I am thankful to have my power on.
I am also thankful there's no wildfire knocking on my door.

Can I complain about it being 108 and still be grateful?

We are planning a little get-together with some friends for the holiday today.
We've had no rain since 1883, and it's 3 million degrees.
Our town has a ban on fireworks... so no sparklers or bottle rockets.
There's a restriction on water... so no slip-n-slide or sprinkler for the kids.
There's also a ban on burning that includes charcoal grills... so we'll be cooking our hot dogs in the oven.

It will definitely be a 4th to remember.
I am celebrating the freedom to grumble about this ridiculously hot weather.
I hope and pray you are all safe and well and in some shade.
Happy Independence Day!

Brunch, Soccer, Bad Pizza, and Mother's Day

Well the weekend's over, and it was a busy one. Getting up this morning was so unpleasant.

I hosted a brunch Saturday morning for some of the other Chaplain wives.  We were "farewell-ing" one wife and "welcoming" a new one.  We do that a lot in the Army.
When the last gal was out the door, I cleared the dishes and we zoomed to the last soccer game of the season. 

I'm usually pretty happy to see a sport season end, but this time I was sad.  The boy enjoys soccer so much.  Even practice makes him happy.
He tied up the game with an awesome goal, and the whole crew went out for pizza and trophies.

The pizza place is one of those places where the pizza is cheap and yummy when you're eating it, but later you regret even going in the door.  Dan/Daddy says it's like ant poison, and we are the ants.  It looks good, it smells good, it tastes good... but then when we eat it, we crawl back to our anthill, curl up, and die.  I didn't die, but I did have a stomachache.

Mother's Day was rainy and gray, but the boy treated me like a queen.
He wanted to make me breakfast in bed, but I got up too soon.  So he made me breakfast on the couch.
He gave me a new charm for my bracelet, and after church, we went out to lunch.

The weather couldn't have been better for doing absolutely nothing, which is what we did.  I tried to squeeze in a nap, but the dog had other plans... like eating my blanket and licking my toes because she was trapped inside also.
The boy played some video games, read a book, watched some Nickelodeon, and ate 2.5 boxes of cereal.
For dinner, we drove to Sonic.  We wore our comfy "lay around the house" clothes, and we took the Sunday paper with us.  We ate our ice cream and read the comics... it was probably my favorite part of the whole day.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the Mommas out there. 
We are all under-paid.

In Our Easter Bonnets

Well nobody had a bonnet on.
I am always amazed at my ability to post about an event 5 days after it actually happened. Some of you have already decorated for the 4th of July by now.

All my family was with us this past weekend, and it was loads of fun. We celebrated the boy's birthday... for the last time.
Then we watched my nephew and my son run around like wild hooligans. It's what they do.









There's a very good reason most of those pictures are blurry; they never stop moving.

On Saturday night, we dyed Easter eggs. I think it's an unspoken Southern rule:
"Easter ain't Easter unless you go to church with stained blue and green fingers."



After church, we kept everybody still long enough for the required photo session. The boy AND my nephew complained. It's what they do.









I would be more irritable with their wiggly-ness if they weren't so darn cute...




After sitting impossibly still, we set them free to hunt eggs.
My nephew wanted to keep his "Easter clothes on all day," he said...
"Because it is Easter."
Love that boy.
My son, however, peeled off the church clothes as fast as he could. He had to get down to the serious business of candy-filled eggs.





We have enough chocolate to last until NEXT Easter.
Have a great weekend, friends.

Why Do We Trust a Groundhog?

I know you've seen the news and heard all the talk about how this has been the warmest Winter ever. The lack of snow has the weather people all confused.
After a week or so of Spring-like temps, we are freezing our buns off again.

Can I tell you what baffles me? Plenty. But when the sun peeps out and the thermometer rises to around 60ish, the thing that baffles me the most is the choices of clothing I see.

I am not joking when I say it was 64 degrees, and I saw people dressed like they just came from the pool. The last time I checked... it was February.
I know the Spring and Fall seasons are tough months for clothing choices, but it is still February.
In fairness I don't know anyone who has an entire wardrobe of "transitional" clothes? I sure don't.
But, when the weather is warm for a Winter day, what's wrong with lighter-weight clothes? Or thinner layers? Can we just take OFF the sweaters?
Why do the spaghetti straps and shortie shorts have to come out now?

I want to ask them what they wear in the mornings when it's still in the 40's.
I also want to ask them what they will wear when it's 103.
I know I have mentioned this before, but there are lines being crossed that I cannot understand.

Last week, I noticed a dad in the school pick-up line who was sporting a tank top.
Yep... I said a DAD. All his chest and underarm hair was poking out, and it was unpleasant.
Who told him he looked good in that? Does the man not own a shirt with sleeves?
Now before you athletic type folks jump on me, I will say there was nothing about him or his tank that screamed,
"I've just been exercising."

Maybe he had been in the gym. Maybe I am just being mean.
Maybe I need to find something else to worry about than how other people are dressed inappropriately for the weather.

If that groundhog is gonna pop out and declare to us when Spring will arrive, then he needs to pop out some fashion advice, too.

Flashback To 2011

I have composed about 17 new blog posts. I've written a few in my head as I drive. I've sketched out one or two on scrap paper. Some are actually in the drafts folder.
But they are all dead to me. I am in a slump and I don't care who knows it.
So I will do the next best thing... Bring out old stuff y'all haven't seen yet.
Due to the death of our computer, you folks missed a lot.

Back in December, we took the BEST trip ever to Disney. My whole family went, and it was good times all around.
In looking through my pictures, I had a hard time deciding which ones to post. There are a bunch of great ones (160ish to be exact), but I don't want you all to run for the hills out of boredom. So I will limit it to a few of my favorites. (Well, they are all my favorites. All 160ish of them.)



















It was an awesome trip, and I am blessed to have such an awesome family to go with.

I made my mom ride Tower of Terror, and she's still speaking to me.
I bought my nephew a Pirates Of The Caribbean gun, and my sis-in-law still loves me.
I made my brother ride Rock & Roller Coaster with me, and he didn't throw up on me.
I carried on like a psychotic 7 year-old when I saw Mickey Mouse, and the boy still took pictures with me. (160ish of them)
My dad rode Space Mountain, and he hasn't had to visit the chiropractor.
Dan/Daddy went on an extended vacation with his wife's side of the family, and he had a blast.

It really is the "happiest place on Earth."

And To All A Good Night

This elf is done. I wish I meant done shopping, baking, wrapping, and fixin'.
I mean "done" as in "stick a fork in me" done.
Pooped.
Spent.
Worn slap out.

In the past 12 days, we have been to Hogwarts and the Happiest Place on Earth. To finish things off, we went over the river and through the woods to Nana's house, too.
We had a blast. A hoot of a good time. One of the best vacations ever. (If not the best.)
I'm planning on boring you all later with retelling and pictures, but for now I am keeping it simple.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.
Merry Christmas, friends.

Is Anybody Cryin' Yet?

I know some of you have heard this phrase:

"Christmas Isn't Christmas Until _______ "
Then you fill in the blank with whatever signifies the start of the holiday season to you.

I've heard: "Christmas Isn't Christmas Until..."
... Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer plays on TV.
... I have a cup of hot chocolate.
... The tree is up.
... I buy the first present.
... The first Christmas card comes in the mail.


I have a few favorites of my own, but it requires changing up the wording a bit.
"Christmas Ain't Christmas Until..."
... Somebody cries.
... The cat eats and poops some tinsel.
... I start stressing about what to buy the "hard-to-buy-for" people.
... Starbucks hauls out the red cups.
... I say 2 bad words while hanging up the outdoor lights. (Or tell my husband where he can put those lights.)

What "officially" starts the Christmas season for you?

It's The Most Anxious Time Of The Year

Why do the "happy" times in our lives cause stress?
I'm okay with the stressful times causing stress, but I am against the happy times causing stress. It's just wrong.
Confused yet?

I can think of more than a few occasions which are inherently good that make people act all crazy.
Like.... remodeling a house or a room. You are getting a brand new space! But, not before somebody nails their shirt to the floor and gets an ulcer about paint color.
Or.... a wedding. A beautiful happy event! But, somebody will be in knots about the drippy candles or the bride's best friend's haircut.
Or... vacation. Finally a chance to relax! But, somebody will lose their mind over what didn't get packed or whether or not the coffee pot was left on.

I am not, by the way, speaking from experience.
Yeah, right.

Dan/Daddy and I hung the Christmas lights outside the other day, and I threatened to pull the ladder out from under him.

Almost every Christmas, I am solely responsible for the decorating. Inside and out. I get help from my people when it comes to the tree if I provide hot chocolate and music. They will say it's because I'm a perfectionist.
They are partially right.

This past Sunday afternoon, Dan/Daddy tried to get off Santa's "not helpful" list and offered his assistance with the outside lights.
If you recall my Halloween lighting fiasco, you can figure out where this is headed.
When we moved this summer, we threw away our old ladder... it was falling apart. We haven't replaced it yet, so the short kitchen step-stool had to work.
It didn't.

Dan/Daddy is a very tall guy, but the place where I wanted the lights and garland to hang is a very very tall place.
He was standing on the step-stool, stretching as far as he could, hammering little hooks into the door frame, and asking me to hand him the cord.
I obviously did not hand him the cord in the manner he thought best.
He took that moment to let me know how unhappy he was that we hadn't taken the time to get our sad cheap pathetic selves to Lowe's to buy a new ladder.

That's when I considered yanking that short little ladder out from under him.
Kidding, people. Kidding.
I love my husband and would never consider bodily harming him.
I did, however, tell him exactly where he could put the light strand. And it wasn't anywhere near the door frame.



It's the hap-happiest season of all.

The Angel Went To GoodWill And Now I Am Confused

I am asking the approximately 7.5 of you who read this blog to answer a question.
I am puzzled , but that's not unusual. I am puzzled by something that's never entered my mind before, and it's all about Christmas decorations.
Blame Pinterest (again) if you want to.

I realize that home decorating styles change ALLTHETIME. What was popular last month is out of style today. It happens with wall colors and window treatments and furniture styles and Heaven help you if you have a piece of furniture from 1998... you better paint it fast to look like it came from Pottery Barn or Anthropologie.
A girl would have to knock off the local bank to keep up with the decorating times.

Is it the same for Christmas decorations? Are we all supposed to toss last year's classic red and green ribbon for this year's hottest blue garland?

I made the mistake of looking at HGTV's website.
They listed 12 different "styles" of Christmas decor. You just thought it was all about the red and green. They also listed White, Snowy White, Warm Green and White, Pink, Simple, Over the Top, and Gold.
And 4 more.

By the way, there wasn't one single giant inflatable yard Frosty on that list.
Nor any homemade angel clothespin ornaments made by a toddler.

So how do you all decorate for Christmas?
Do you stick to a theme? Do you use all the same colors? Do you have any collections? (Is that even ok anymore?)
I want to know if you change your decor with the trends. (I may want to borrow some money from you, too.)

Every year when we haul out the holly, I go through our ornaments and lights and other stuff to see what's broken. I glued the feet back onto 3 Rudolph characters yesterday. The Nutcrackers had a makeshift hospital on my kitchen counter. Poor guys.... moving all the time does not agree with them.

The saddest discovery I made was that our tree angel doesn't work anymore. We were trying to get her to light up when I realized... she is old. OLD. Older than my child. Maybe older than some of you. We bought her one of the first Christmases after we got married. That makes her somewhere between 15 and 18. That is old in tree angel years.
I'm amazed she lasted this long.
I put her in a bag of outgrown clothes I was taking to donate. Poor old girl.

So now I'm on the hunt for a new tree topper. Not because my style changed, but because I had to.
That's what I'm talking about.... Is it just me? Or are all of you hopping onto the latest Christmas trends?
And what do you do with all the stuff that's "out of style" now? Is it going to join my angel?

Help me out here, folks.
Do you have any giant yard inflatables?
What do you do with your children's precious handmade collections?
What is your Christmas decorating philosophy?

I may need to draw on all your knowledge in my quest for a new angel.

PS.... Here's the link for the HGTV article if you're interested:
http://www.bhg.com/christmas/indoor-decorating/christmas-decorating-styles/

PSS... If anyone has a pink tree, I want to see a picture.

Hark! The Angel's Name Is Not Harold

The angel's name is either Steve or Chelsea. Just ask my son.

We spent an unhealthy amount of time in the car over the Thanksgiving weekend, and we tried listening to Christmas music to brighten the mood.
In case you were wondering, listening to Christmas music turns a long car ride into a long car ride with Christmas music.
One of our choices was Josh Groban's Christmas CD. Have mercy can that man sing.
I have a friend who forbids her children from singing along when Groban is on. She calls it sacrilege. I think she's onto something.

In the chorus of Angels we Have Heard on High, I hear this from the backseat:

"Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria, Steve and Chelsea say-o!
Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria, Steve and Chelsea say-o!"

Now the boy is a smart little cookie. Very smart. He also knows lots of songs and lyrics, so I turned around and laughed.... thinking he was joking.
He wasn't.

My argument was futile.
I said,
"That is NOT what he's singing. He's saying in excelsis Deo."
The boy said,
"He is saying STEVE AND CHELSEA, MOM."

So he kept singing about Steve and Chelsea. He even asked me if it was "Steve and Chelsea say-o" or "Steve and Chelsea hey-o"
He is, apparently, concerned about getting it right.
He gets that from me.
My mom loves to tell the story about how I SWORE the old Crystal Gayle song "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?" was actually "Don't It Make My Brownies Good?"

A song about brownies must have made more sense to me than a song about eye color.
(Still does.)

So if you hear angels singing on high, it just may be Steve and Chelsea.