deckin' my halls

I'm a big believer in letting Thanksgiving have its day, and for me, that means holding off on all things Christmas until I pull out of my parents' driveway after Thanksgiving break.  If I'm lucky, the temperature has dropped below 55 degrees (gotta love the south), and I'll pop in some Christmas tunes on the drive back to Birmingham.

Twice in my adult life the tree was erected (okay, assembled) prior to Thanksgiving.  I maintain that it was necessary those years - and likely will be again in the future - because between work and vacation, the time I'd have at home, delighting in the seasonal decor, was going to be too short if I didn't bite the bullet before Thanksgiving.

I do love Christmas, but seriously, the cost-benefit evaluation can't be justified if I can't enjoy the fruits of my decorating labors for at least three weeks.  (This is sounding like a Merry Self-Centered Christmas here ... but I digress.)

So when I do get back to town, and after I unpack and start the laundry, Christmas preparation is in full throttle.

And so today is the day!

Decking my halls looks a little something like this:

• Selecting a seasonal CD to set the musical mood
 
• Lighting a candle that smells like cinnamon, mistletoe, cider or something else festive, like the real tree I don't have
 
• Digging out the boxes of Christmas goodness from the closet
 
• Assembling the very fake tree 
 
• Fighting with the Christmas tree lights and kicking myself for not buying the pre-lit tree on sale last year
 
• Wishing for fun new decorations, and feeling Grinch-like toward the tree lights, so excusing myself to the likes of Pier1, HomeGoods, and World Market to make some purchases, thus restoring the Christmas spirit lost in said light-stringing frustration
 
• Returning home to complete the tree trimming
 
• Throwing down the tree skirt
 
• Displaying the new purchases: this year, a table centerpiece that matches my tree topper (how that happened, I'm not sure), and a festive welcome mat
 
• Hanging two very cute stockings for no one in particular
 
• Arranging the nativity scene
 
• Setting the table with Christmas china and dreaming up what I'd serve on those pretty dishes if I ever hosted a Christmas dinner
 
• Programming the light timer, so that I'm welcomed home from work every day by the happy lights that owe me for enduring their stubbornness

'Tis the season, y'all!  What're your decorating rituals?