We have temporarily lost some of our tree lights and ornaments. After packing and moving right after the holidays this past year, we have stuff in a variety of locations. I thought we brought all of the Christmas stuff with us, but I have discovered that my NOMA Bubble Lights are MIA. I am crushed.
Click here for a refresher from last year.
This past weekend, we went out into the woods and emerged with our Fraser fir. It is smaller than years past, but it is because we have way less space. It is a good size, a normal size, if you will. We agreed that we had been overdoing it in the tree department. We found a nest in last year's tree. This year we have a smallish tree with lots of character.
I sent Hubby down into the crawl space to retrieve the decorations. Among hundreds of boxes labeled 'kitchen stuff', he only found one box of decorations for around the house and one box of tree lights mixed with one small box of glass ornaments. I asked him to check under the first of three boxes labeled 'fondue set' for the rest. Nothing.
WHERE ARE MY BUBBLE LIGHTS?
I can't go through Christmas without my Bubble Lights. These things are the best kind of fire hazard you could have. They don't make them like they used to anymore. And every year, keeping with my own personal tradition, I insist on heading into the local Canadian Tire and asking the staff to point me in the direction of the Bubble Lights. They stare at me like I am some crazy off the street. They don't know! They probably weren't even born when Bubble Lights were at their all time height in popularity. Kids these days.
Even EvieG is upset that there are no Bubble Lights this year.
We went for the multi-coloured twinkle lights and threw in a couple strands of LED lights to do our part for the environment (tree cutting excluded obviously). The box did have the disco ball and Santa lights. But I must have packed the Bubble Lights in bubble wrap and hidden them at the bottom of the box with the circa 1979-gold-spray-painted-dried-macaroni ornaments. And the rodent-nibbled-waffle-cone-popcorn-meant-to-be-an-ice-cream-cone-with-a-red-pom-pom-on-top ornament.
Devastated.
The fact that I don't have my old ornaments and retro lights bums me out big time.
I sucked it up. We bought one of those buckets o' ornaments for $25. They are plastic and they are all silver. So they do sparkle nicely with the twinkle lights. And it will work out fine because we won't risk losing anymore oldies but goodies in the loose grip of The Destroyer. We lost a few last year. So far we have had a lot fall but they just bounce and roll along the hard floor. If anything, I am going to have to go and stock up on extra hooks. I have noticed that some have fallen like pine cones and then I have to search for their proper branch. And they make the hooks green now so they camouflage. The breakable ones have gone 36 inches and above.
I am actually considering attaching the tree to the wall with fishing line. I see The Destroyer pacing back and forth in front of the tree looking like she is ready to pounce on her prey. I figure it is a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
At least most objects on there are plastic. And I think we did use the fishing line last year. So maybe it's a good thing we don't have our old ornaments and Bubble Lights. I wouldn't want to risk losing them forever.
Ho hum. I will miss turning out the lights and sitting in front of the lit tree watching the mini lava lamps work their mesmerizing magic.
All the more fuel for me to come back next year bigger and better. I will make it my mission for 2010:
Find Bubble Lights, buy replacements for the existing dried up ones, and expand on current collection through online purchasing.
All's I'm sayin's all.
Labels: DDM, Mission
I love the holiday season and getting into the holiday spirit. What I mean by this is that I can use this time of year as some serious leverage when it comes to the shenanigans of the Wee Ladies. No, no friends. It's not all the cookies and shopping, presents and chopped trees that have me giggly. It's that I have Santa on my side. We are a United Front. Santa's watching your kids.
As creepy as that may sound, he knows if you are being good. So when things go sideways, all I have to do is peer over my hot chocolate and Baileys and remind the Wee Ladies of this. I can easily use it for a solid two months out of the year. Maybe even bring it up mid-year as a refresher.
I love this threat. And yes, let's be open and honest. It is a threat. All you have to do is gently but firmly say, "Remember- Santa Claus is coming to town. So you better not pout or cry. And I will definitely give you all the reasons why. You might want to rethink that whole cleaning up the mess you made. Oh, and don't whine about it either. He's watching. Santa is always watching."
Sometimes when things get really sour with the Wee Ladies, the threat gets worse. "You do want Santa to bring you your presents, right?" Met with a distinct nod, I can swiftly redirect them back to more appropriate behaviour.
Shake your head at me all you want. But it works. And it works well. Why ruin a good thing? If I have a guaranteed means for good behaviour, if I can curb the whining, then boy howdy I will. No one wants to cross Jolly Old St. Nick. If we do, we might only get a lump of coal in our stockings. And I can see him shaking his head while exhaling his smoke ring from his pipe. Fear not, I haven't pulled the coal threat out yet. I think I'll save that for next year.
Santa is kind of like the Polk-A-Roo version the lady at the store who tells your kids to sit down in the cart, or stay out from under the racks because they might knock something over or get lost. They threaten to their face and in front of you, the parent, without your permission. You might get lost. Or You might crack your head on our Wal*Mart concrete and the Waltons have no use for lawsuits. Only Santa's threats are through the parent directly. The key here is that the kids always listen. ALWAYS. They do listen to that old lady with the blue perm cashing us out. And when she says sit, they sit. Just like when they know Santa is watching, it's all hands clasped at the table, napkin in lap, and a pearly white smile to boot.
Forget Reward Charts. Just use Santa. Christmas may only be once a year, but you can try and use Santa for about 364 days of the year.
Just ask the lady at the checkout. She'll agree.
All's I'm sayin's all.
Labels: Battle
