It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

When my wife and I first got married, I remember thinking that she had the heart of a small child. We didn’t even have kids of our own yet, but she loved decorating for Christmas. 

I came home from work late one evening to find our small Northern Virginia apartment looking like Santa’s workshop. She was tired from working all day just like me, but she still found the energy to get everything prepared. I wasn’t even sure where she stored all the decorations, but there they were.

With kids, the decorating got only bigger and more advanced: white and colored lights; carolers and snow men and women galore; snowflake wall hangings; numerous miniature Santa Claus’ lining a curio cabinet; and a much-loved nativity scene in a special place of honor to help remind everyone who steps foot in our house of the real reason for the season. 

Times are a changing!

While all nice, I thought the decorating might slow down a few years ago. With the kids starting to leave the nest, my wife seemed to lose her enthusiasm for decorating or shopping at little mom and pop craft stores for new Christmas decorations. I thought we were done. I thought the end had finally come and we would soon be downsizing.

Oh, I knew we’d add lights as old ones burnt out and some of the decorations started to fall apart or lost their most-loved status, but I figured we’d start to take a more modest approach to decorating. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I failed to factor the influence of Covid. With us shut-in for much of last Christmas, my wife wanted to make the holiday even more special. Christmas decorating was back in style again. And it hasn’t let up this season and the calendar still says November.

When it comes to my wife’s penchant for decorating, I feel like Michael Coreleone in the movie, The Godfather III when he says, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

Fa, la, la

While I worked last week, I could hear my wife get home from her job and start moving furniture around our house. I was on a conference call, so I couldn’t check in on her, but I most certainly could hear her. I knew I was in trouble when I heard Michael Bublé singing on the stereo speaker that “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

When I was finally done work, I stepped downstairs to find that the only thing missing was a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Yes, I’m pulled back in and it’s still four weeks to Christmas!