Decorating with Christmas Cheer

Can we just take a moment to discuss the ills of Christmas decorating with an OCD perfectionist?

Let me use an example from my own household that took place this weekend as we prepared to hang decorations on our tree.

Joy: I'm soooo excited to decorate with Dawson this year.

(I begin placing bows randomly on the tree)

Jason: Stop. Do you see this empty space? A silver bow should go here. Don't get them too close together either.

Joy. Are you being serious right now? Oh wait. You are.

Of course this is after 1/2 an hour of placing lights strategically on the tree to the optimum effect of the tree being well lit. In addition to the ornaments being laid in alphabetical order on the table according to height in preparation to be placed on the proper branch on the tree.

Yeah. That's what I live it.

I'm a neat freak, but I could overcome that if I really wanted to.

So begins the decorating of our house for Christmas in the year 2008.

Here's our strategically placed, perfectally ornamented tree in all it's glorious splendor.

This is the same tree when I use the flash on the camera.

Once Jason conquered his fear of badly placed ornaments he allowed Dawson to hang some:

If we would have allowed Dawson to do the decorating I fear Jason's whole Christmas would have been ruined. Or he would have to take a pill to overcome the shakes.

I have since realized this is the reason he waits until the very last minute to get our decorations down from the attic. He used to blame it on me saying I always want to decorate too early. I've deciphered that little scheme now. Another reason I should be in the CIA.

Here's my masterfully skilled camera work of our stockings hanging with care.

Now that I think about it, in Jason's defense, our tree is asymmetrically and aesthically pleasing to the eye. thank you honey.

And the previous pictures is the extent that we go to in decorating our house. No outside lights, though last year Jason splurged and bought 2 wreaths to hang on the lights on either side of the garage door. We also put out our brand new, never been used, nativity scene and I forgot to take a picture of it! Not that any are different really.

And since I was afraid to bore people with my lack of Christmas decorations I took the following pictures:

A picture of the tree looking through the mirror in the living room.

A picture of me taking a picture of the tree in the mirror.

Jason took this one. (I'm sure he was inspired by my creative genius) A picture of the reflection of the tree in the coffee table.

And in the spirit of things, here is my niece Kazlan's Christmas list, which I found to be so darling I asked my sister if I could have it to scan and put on the blog:

I'll leave you with the few pictures we snapped of Dawson with the tree:

Here he looks like he could be on the verge of being happy, thought slightly confused.

Here he looks positively terrified.

Here he is running from whatever it is that is terrifying him.

Perhaps it's the strategically placed silver bow behind his head.