So with our son off to college, we are now empty nesters for most of the year. This is interesting backstory for all of you to have as I bring up the next topic — decorating for the holidays. When my husband asked me “why” would we decorate for Halloween this year, the question bounced off my heart with a tinge of sadness. Well because! (Not a great answer) There are school-age children on the block that would probably enjoy all of my lights and decorations — right? It seemed to be assumed that because we didn’t have a child inside the house anymore that decorations outside are less appreciated. And, what about me? I love to see the holiday decorations and, although I might size it down a bit, the happiness a bit of color brings each holiday gets me energized.
You need to know that my bah-humbug husband is not one to string Christmas lights outside any time before the frigid Minnesota winter sets in nor does he seem to care for them at all. I remember one winter trying to string lights on an especially icy and cold evening (by myself) because I wanted lights and wasn’t going to let Scrooge tell me otherwise. Oh, the frostbite and swear words that happened that night. The plan for this year was to put lights up before the first snowfall — who knew it would be snowing mid-October! However, that plan is still in motion and will go forward.
Most of the fun with holiday decorating is to bring a smile to the neighbors. For example, one year (and only one year) we bought a lighted up inflatable snowman to sit in our front yard as a beacon of happiness for all of the neighborhood to see. Epic Fail. We forgot that Fountain is the highest point in Fillmore County and also the windiest. That poor snowman was doing a backbend or face plant for the entire season. Ah, decorating. There is also the time I tried to connect a few decorations with our Christmas lights, which ended up looking like a scene from the Christmas Vacation movie with extension cords and light strings bundled up into nice little messes all over the yard and deck. They blinked when they weren’t supposed to and finally gave up and just quit lighting up before the season was half way through. Also, I bought solar lights one year to try an easy way to decorate but best intentions went askew when one set went on a crazy blinking tirade and I accidentally cut the cord for the other set while pulling weeds. Ah, decorating.
So, after all of these sad stories, you might think it is time to admit that my Christmas lighting skills are pathetic, the option of having my husband help is NOT an option, and those two things in combination are a poor recipe for spreading holiday cheer to the neighborhood. BUT…I will not be discouraged. Now, I am not saying you should make a special trip to check out the lights at our house this season, but just know there will something to share with the neighborhood. And, please know… I am not too proud to have friends offer their lighting services. Let the decorating begin!
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