Decking the halls with a bump in tow

By Published On: December 9th, 2011

Written by: Tracy December 09 2011 It’s my favorite time […]

Written by: Tracy

It’s my favorite time of year! I love the holiday season and each year I am so excited to start decorating my house. The best part? I pride myself on being a speed decorator. I get the date planned and all the action happens in a few hours flat. Start to finish, my house becomes a Christmas wonderland full of good tidings and cheer. I didn’t think a bump would delay the process but it sure did. This year, my two-hour plan stretched into a two-day ordeal.

The day started relatively normal. I had to run to the store to pick up a new wreath and some tape. All went well and I was so excited to head home and start.

We’re big on traditions in my house and I like it that way. Every year, the decorating day starts by baking cookies. The heavenly scent of sugar and chocolate makes the air smell just right. We always put “It’s A Wonderful Life” (My most favorite movie since forever!) on the TV and start the process. (Don’t worry guys, Brack gets to follow my movie up with the “Christmas in South Park” movie, so his manhood is still in tact.)

Everything was going just as planned when we reached the attic to get down all of the goods. There were boxes and boxes of ornaments, outside lights and our tree. Though I simply heart real trees, we have an artificial one (probably safer for my pregnancy brain and my constant ability to forget to unplug things). Here’s where my pregnancy enters the picture. I was so sure that I was missing a bag full of Christmas goods given to me by my best friend, that I had Brack scour the attic for at least half an hour looking for the bag that I just knew was there. He was a trooper. I was a little grumpy (mood swings back in full session by the way). And I finally gave up. Thanks, pregnancy brain! I never picked up the bag from my friend. It’s still in Virginia. That little oopsie resolved and apologized for, the real fun began.

It’s like magic when you open the ornament box. I can remember as a child pulling out each ornament and talking about wear it was from, how we got it or who made it. I can’t wait to do the same with Braxton. I also can’t wait to hang up all of his little creations on the tree. Right now, it’s these smiley little ginger bread people that make me giddy.

After gazing at each special item, having a moment of tearful expression about how this was the last time we would pull out the tree as just an “us,” and hanging up all of our Christmas cards (Another tradition? I save all the picture cards, so if you were up in 2009, you’re still up now!), I was exhausted. The last straw was when my belly wouldn’t allow me to put the tree skirt under the tree. I just couldn’t bend in that way at all. Thank goodness for Brack, who was able to help just before I melted down in a pile of tears. Though simply adorable, CiCi wasn’t much help with the process. He’s a little confused by the ruckus and all the new additions to his home. I think his puzzled face is the result of the fact that he’s trying to figure out just how to sneak and pee under the tree without getting caught. At least in the last few years, he’s graduated from eating the ornaments. I guess we are safe from that until Braxton comes along.

So I retired my Christmas gloves until the next day. Though I did get the inside decorated in a normal amount of time, I had no energy for the outside lights. Even though the day didn’t go exactly as smooth as years past, we all went to bed nestled in holiday fun with our bellies full of cookies. The next day I got all the outside lights up for the world to see. Now, I simply can’t wait for everyone to come for Christmas.

Lots of love,

Tracy