While some people continue their Christmas festivities on Boxing Day, possibly in jammies relishing in the fact the family marathon is over, or braving the city streets to look for good deals - I like to vacuum behind the couch.
Every year I pull that beast out and give it a good vacuum, while cleaning up the big ol' mess that Christmas seemed to spew all over the house. Unfortunately, this year the biggest mess couldn't really be vacuumed, it was more in the air.
I do feel that I keep my expectations pretty low in the events department. We really try and not go overboard on all the "hoopla" that is Christmas.While I know some love the traditions beforehand - the special cookies, an outing to shop for siblings in town, or heading to the bush to find a tree - I go out of my way to not have any of that set on the calendar. It has made things so much simpler. I don't feel myself losing my ever loving mind if someone got sick cookie weekend, or I'm just plain too tired to have a hot chocolate party. Anything exciting we end up doing is just a bonus.
This year we happened to be out in the bush, and since my decorating for the season is a bare minimum, it was on a whim I told the girls they could find a wee tree to put in their room. With the silence that the snow covered forestry can only offer, we trekked out not far from the cabin and chopped down a tree the size of my five year old. It all seemed rather magical and I knew it would be fun for the girls to make their own paper chains and any other doo-dads they wanted to put on the tree.
The magic ended when their daddy hauled the tree upstairs and plopped it in the old galvanized bucket full of rocks.
"What is that smell?"
"Did something pee on that tree? Was it a bear? Did a bear pee on that tree?"
"Don't use potty talk!"
"Why does our room stink? The whole upstairs reeks! I didn't know Christmas trees stink. Do you think the one at Auntie's stink?"
Unfortunately that tiny bit of green had travelled home in the trailer that had hauled calves two days prior. It laid in there over night and soaked up enough barnyard smell to be able to make you question those candles that say 'evergreen' scent on them. Is this what an evergreen smells like?
Note to self: Always clean out the trailer before hauling a little piece of Christmas cheer home in it. Tucking in the girls at night will become mighty trying if you don't.
