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"I WILL GET IT..."

March 7, 2011


It is March...the snow is melting, the days are longer, and the temperature is slowly rising!  I love looking out the windows and seeing the signs of spring...buds on the trees, tulips pushing through the ground and...
Yes, we still have Christmas lights on our trees.  You are probably asking yourself why we would still have our trees wrapped with little lights of Christmas joy...

Let me tell you all a little story...

I have never put up a Christmas tree twice in the same home since meeting my husband fourteen years ago.  This year is the first time we are living in the same home for the last two seasons.  I was finally going to break the Christmas tree streak!  However, if you remember this post, you will know that my husband and I spent our Christmas apart this year.  I took the children to my parent's house, and my husband stayed behind.  It made no sense to decorate a house that would be empty on Christmas day.
When I told my husband I was skipping the Christmas decorations, he acted as though I was actually suggesting we call the North Pole and cancel the entire Christmas holiday for everyone!  I told him that the process of decorating was just too much for me this year:

  • Go to our storage unit and get decorations
  • Bring boxes from car into the house
  • Put our Christmas tree up and decorate the house
  • Leave for my parent's house (December 15) via airplane with two children and five suitcases (all of which I packed) and travel without any help.
  • Return from trip (January 4), bring in and unpack suitcases...Wash, fold and put away all laundry.
  • Need to take Christmas decorations down...
  • Pack up decorations and tree
  • Bring boxes out to the car
  • Return items to our storage unit.
Did I mention my husband left town on the 12th of December and didn't return until the 20th of January?  So of course the removal of all things red, green and tinsel would have been done by me and just me!

I don't recall exactly what made my husband agree that putting up our Christmas decorations was a bad idea...
But somehow we came to the agreement that we would just put some lights on our trees outside.  We fought worked together one evening in the dark and wrapped lights around our two trees in the front yard.  I even put garland and lights on our porch banister...the house was soon festive, and we had saved Christmas of 2010.  
Since my husband would be home from the 26th through the 30th of December, he promised he would take down the lights before his big road trip...then I would not have to worry about them when I returned.  Have I mentioned what a great procrastinator husband I had married?


I returned home from my trip, and the lights were still on the tree...

I refused to take the lights down on principle...if I did it, my husband would never realize that he needed to take responsibility for his non-actions!  So I waited...and I waited...and as I waited I read a book...
and then I waited some more....

I caved and took the garland down on February 27th....but I still refuse to take down the lights on the trees!  Funny because I think my husband is refusing to take them down now too....so we now have a Christmas light stand-off going on!

Have you seen this?  Welcome to my world!


So next time you drive by a house that still has their Christmas decorations up in March, do not make a snide comment under your breath!  Because, inside that home is a husband who promised his wife that he would take down the decorations in December and the wife has not removed them out of principle.

I can let you in on another secret!  Not only is there forgotten lawn ornamentation, but you can also be sure that somewhere inside the home is a basket of clean laundry that has been sitting there, waiting for someone to realize it needs to be put away...




35 comments:

OKinUK said...

I have conversations with my husband about this very thing ALL THE TIME. Technically, we're having the conversation... because it's all in my head. Someday, there'll be face to face discussion...for now, I'm planning all possible conversation threads.

carla jo said...

haha! this made me laugh out loud. You are too funny, love all the pictures you add :) Enjoy reading your blog as well. Thank you for the comment!

b. lee said...

my hubs just got ours down last weekend * was amazing to wake my eldest up for school this morn ... 6:10am & the sun was rising * hallelujah!

Ms. Sarah said...

My husband and I had this converstation. He truly believes he is chevy chase and vegas vacation. Luckily we live on post and you can't do that. He puts it out and I tap my foot waiitng for it to come down. It is usually down sometime in feb. When I start making threats of withholding food, doing laundry, cleaning and other adult activites. For him to go out and take it down in a jiffy So are you thinking htey will be up for the next season??

Love that episode of Raymond.

Lindsey said...

First off, I love Everyone Loves Raymond! And that episode had my husband and I rolling because its so true.
I always break down and end up doing it all and then blowing up at him for not doing it. I find its better that way. Makes him feel bad...maybe.

Happy Monday :)

Big Fat Gini said...

It's exactly the same way in our house (well, except Mr. BFG is never gone). I didn't do a Christmas tree this year. We did do lights on the house...for some reason? But, our families always descend upon us at Christmas and I saw no reason to add one more thing to my list of things to do, or one more expense (since we buy a real tree each year) to my growing list of expenses.

And also, that clip of Everybody Loves Raymond? Yeah. That is totally us. Totally.

Brandy M. said...

Just think it will be less to put out next year. Ok maybe not the right philosophy but I am sticking with it for now.

Hopping in from a hop would love for you to stop by if you have time.

http://giveawayblogdom.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I refuse to let RH put up any outside Christmas decorations because of this very reason. (Not that anyone but us can see the house anyway.)
The not me picture is far too fitting, I am starting to see that most marriages are like that and my parents just had me jaded all those years :D

Heather (The Menu Mama) said...

That's a great clip from Everybody Loves Raymond. In general, I'm a bigger procrastinator than my husband, when he gets it into his head that something needs to be done, it needs to be done NOW. Even if the timing isn't convenient. Like deep cleaning the bathroom on Christmas Eve...

Anyways, great post. And I feel you on the laundry.

Crystal said...

hahahaha!!! Hilarious! I make hubby help put deco up and take them down...and I'm not allowed on the roof, so that's all up to him! We take ours down the day after Christmas...by that point, I've had enough! That episode is hilarious....it should be, it's taken from MY life. My hubby is always gone and NEVER cleans out his suitcase. it makes my eyes twitch some times! Plus, JUST yesterday he complained that he 1 pair of clean underwear in the drawer. But sitting on the air hockey table (ie-clean laundry table!) were a pile of his stuff. It takes a little too much energy, though, to look around the corner at the mountain of folded laundry. He'd rather go commando!!!

Take All Chances - Missy said...

Brilliant!! Hahaha!! It's like a tv sitcom episode! Stay strong!

Take All Chances - Missy said...

Oh and I have bestowed a rather well deserved award on you in my latest post!

LesleyRH said...

Eh a few Christmas lights never hurt even in March! Actually, I was just laughing this evening because my husband and I were walking around Derry and much to my surprise...the city of Derry still has all their Christmas decorations up on the streets and over the streets and on poles. I was shocked and couldn't help but laugh.

Ross said...

We put our outdoor decorations up in October and don't take them down until April or May, whenever our snow melts. It's Christmas all winter at our place. It might have something to do with the fact that it's in the country and your can't get to the lights until spring with all the snow!!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

My mom always tells me I have trained my husband to not do things around the house, because I never say anything. He reads this blog, so I am hoping he takes the lights down AND brings the laundry upstairs!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

Nothing better than long days...except a little help from our husbands here and there!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

We rent our home during the hockey season, so they have to come down before we leave....I probably will have to do it!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

That TV show is so close to home for married couples. My husband I will laugh...or give each other the "SEE" look! Always nice to know we are not alone!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

I always miss the tree, but I can tell you we didn't put one up in previous seasons also...but the kids were so young, they never noticed!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

NO...we are done with outdoor lights. If we did it next year, we would need a divorce lawyer to mediate the process!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

Why is it so much fun to put UP the decorations...and such a pain in the a$$ to TAKE THEM DOWN?

Hockey Wife Tales said...

He can come clean my bathrooms on Christmas Eve!!

PS...I have made your carmel popcorn twice now...it is our new family favorite.!!!

Thanks again for helping me feed my kids. We did another menu this week.

Cheers!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

Story of my life. My husband is 6 feet from the folded towels...I don't know when he will think to bring them up for me....sigh!!!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

Thank you for the award and comments!! I didn't know you taught hockey!!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

I wouldn't complain one bit if my husband left the lights up...if we could go live in Ireland for a while. Hope everything is as wonderful as I think it will be! Let me know when you start teaching Zumba over there. I am doing my cert on the 26th...wish me luck!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

I think that is the reason I didn't say anything until now...the extension cords were under all the snow...but the snow finally melted. I wrote this post, and the next morning awoke to a lot of snow. Is it karma?

Cakeologist said...

Don't feel too bad, I still have a half burnt out strand of Halloween lights wrapped around my light post.

Hockey Wife Tales said...

I guess that is worse than Christmas lights....!

jen said...

Ha! My husband barely leaves them up for christmas morning before he's yanking them off the house!

Thanks for riding the train, following now, so I don't miss any of the good stuff.
The Survival Mama

Nightly Cafe said...

Don't feel bad. I don't often go in my front door because I park out back. I noticed the other day we still have cob webs from Halloween hanging and a Christmas wreath still hangs by my door. Happy Tuesday!

BK

TexaGermaFinlaNadian said...

Heck, just embrace them and leave them up. Maybe you will start a new fad in the neighborhood! haha. Sorry about blogger eating your post. I would hate that!

TexaGermaNadian said...

Heck, just embrace them and leave them up. Maybe you will start a new fad in the neighborhood! haha. Sorry about blogger eating your post. I would hate that!

The Survival Mama said...

Ha! My husband barely leaves them up for christmas morning before he's yanking them off the house!

Thanks for riding the train, following now, so I don't miss any of the good stuff.
The Survival Mama

K Marie37bg said...

There are so many people around where I live that still have their decorations up it's crazy! We don't really put any up outside because we'd do the same...procrastinate!

Hockey Wife Tales said...

My husband just took the lights down today! Hooray, our house is officially Christmas-free!

Cheers!