Monday, December 7, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Every year, about a week before Christmas, I drag the tree from the attic and reluctantly chuck a few decorations in the general vicinity of the branches, wrap a few lights around the tree (even the ones that half the bulbs don't work) and say job done... You see, I am convinced that I am a direct descendant of the Grinch and quite possibly a distant relative of Ebenezer Scrooge...



I HATE Christmas, the mad frenzy of shoppers making incredible dents into their already screaming overdrafts for the sake of one day. I'm pretty sure the Three Wise Men didn't have an exorbitant Mastercard bill to pay off when Mary and Joseph trundled off on their donkey with the gifts they were given for their newborn baby...

Mr Hammie recently guest blogged on Hammiesblog that Christmas for them this year had been cancelled in favour of a walk in the forest and an avoidance of all the stresses that family gatherings can bring. I found myself wishing I could do the same as it seemed pointless to go through all the rituals and stresses of church, dinner, presents that no one can afford and entertaining Munchkin, hoping that she will smile and be nice to my elderly grand aunt and grand uncle who adore kids, but may not understand Munchkin ignoring them or pushing them away! Then something incredible happened....

I recently set up a sensory room for Munchkin complete with lights, projectors etc and she adores spending time there, so when I drove to a family I work with one night, she saw houses lit up for Xmas (yes it was November!) and that started her off asking for lights... The tutors, myself and her school have been able to use her obsession with lights to talk about Christmas to prepare her for it. I would hear several dozen times a day her say to herself " I want the lights...it's too early for the lights" over and over...



On Saturday, I decided to bin my Black Bah Humbug Santa hat and drag the tree from the attic several weeks before its usual appearance. I actually discovered a few years back that I can drag it up intact through the loft door so don't have to disassemble it (yes I'm that lazy!) and put the boxes of decorations open on the floor. Nothing happened at first then as I started to put a few old pasta angels that the Elder Lemon and Yani had made years ago in primary school, Munchkin picked up a decoration and started to help :) My heart burst with love right there looking at my little girl putting decoration after decoration excitedly onto the tree (all on one branch but hey, who cares hehe) I started to feel a little tingle of something that has been missing from Christmas since the older two hit the teenage years... I felt the magic!! I really thought this year the silly season would once again float over madams head but she has tentatively grasped the concept that Santa is coming and will bring her a present (thanks to www.portablenorthpole.tv) Now I just have to explain every day that its not actually Christmas yet, and that Santa doesn't get stuck in every chimney like he does in the book in school...

I wonder will I start humming the Coke ad.....

18 comments:

Autimom said...

gr8 blog, i think there is a few more grinches around than we realise, me included...but our barricades are coming down slowly thannks to our little girls....now if only i can get a move on and get our christmass tree and decorations down im sorted lol

Taz said...

Lovely Blog! I LOVE christmas, but every year i'm slightly disappointed that Button doesn't enjoy it as much as I'd like him too. This year though, he has actually specifically requested something from Santa, and I even found him wearing his Santa hat the other day! It's never going to be as big a deal for him as it was for me at his age, but i'm learning to enjoy it through him, and leave my expectations at the chimney! xx

grufalomum said...

I give you 2 weeks and you'll be shouting HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS round the place :P
Fab blog as always :)

Jen said...

Ah thats great Petunia, I am delighted for all of you. Will look forward to the post Christmas blog on how she enjoyed the day. Great blog, as always. Jen

Jean said...

What a fab christmas present to get! Bob helped to decorate the tree too yesterday so we are mega happy about that...and, hey, you're WAY too pretty to be related to the grinch xxx

Aruba said...

oooooh well done....really great blog. This is the first year that jamie has really taken interest in Christmas too and it has brought such a buzz and joy to our house!! Its the little things isnt it. I hope you all have a wonderful christmas

Saplings Rathfarnham said...

Great to hear your girl is getting excited about the whole thing. Thanks for the link. Bill

Dougal said...

That's really lovely Petunia, but do me a favour and dont sing the Coke song. Pleeeease!!!
Michele
XXXX

Anonymous said...

Lovely blog Tracey, feeling a little sad at the moment that if my older 2 find out Santa isnt real (and woe betide anyone that tells him before christmas this year!) that the little man might not ever get Christmas like they do and we do.. thankfully the other half snapped me out of that putting up the christmas tree and Irish coffees :D ..its Christmas, just not as we know it!!

Sal

Anonymous said...

petunia i had that exact same feeling on saturday. last few weeks, all AJ has said is i dont like xmas, no presents and no chimney. saturday comes around and he helped with the decorations totally out of the blue. everyone in the house cried cause in previous years e hasnt even noticed we'd a tree up. now all he wants to watch on rerun is a weird dvd that cost a fiver in tescos called father xmas, and santa is goin to bring im presents!! (dunno wat though as thats all the info hes sharing).
i admire ur laziness, if i cud get away with it i wud.
great blog and THRILLED munchkin is doing soooo fantastic
xxx

Clive said...

Great to read that the Christmas preparations are going better this year for you.

Anonymous said...

I simply immerse my lot in Christmas - regardless!! Its a freight train that is coming and I feel sometimes that Im dragging them aboard. As Eric is 9 now, he's more logical about things, Ben doesnt really care once his "stuff" arrives that morning, and the small 2 think the whole house is a sensory room (and it is - will all the sparkley decorations, flashing bulbs and fibre optics). It really only became apparant to me this year, how my boys handles christmas differently to my sisters children.
Christmas morning is more methodical round here - with Eric and Ben on a mission to open EVERYTHING at once, and the smallies stimming away with all the wrappings. Its like the older 2 just run through a mental checklist.
Lego - check
Diggers - check
laptops - check

Everything accounted for and marked off, they settle down. There's no Santa anticipation round here, but its special never the less.
Great blog Grinch... oops I mean Petunia,

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hennie
xxx

Anonymous said...

What a smashing blog,much excitment in the house this year Jim has really got the whole santa thing,he loves the tree thus why it is up so early.I am usally 2 weeks before xmas and of course the much anticipated trip to see santa in Thomasland,I am so glad your got your "groove" back Katy

jazzygal said...

Ah, that is fabulous Petunia! So glad Munchkin getting caught up in it all this year....she'll knock the Grinch out of you!!

I've always loved Christmas. I love the decorations. Love wrapped pressies....just HATE the buying of them and decision making surrounding it! The day itself I dread as we get pulled from all angles to visit here and there:(( xxx Jazzy

Anonymous said...

Hi Petunia, I'm not too keen on Christmas either, I used to love it, don't know what happened. Our tree usually goes up before the 20th as that's my little boy's birthday. He will be 5 this year and was diagnoised with ASD earlier this year. Just after putting up our tree, hopefully he will be delighted in the morning, I think he's understanding Christmas this year.

Great blog. Mossy

ITALIAN POLICEMAN said...

I arrived here just surfing.
A friendly embrace and best wishes from Italy

http://pillandia.blogspot.com said...

A HELLO from an Estonian!

Popsie said...

loved your blog, you have to like christmas even if you don't, with our little ones! I was the same this year until Gary ASKED to go and see Santa, i couldn't believe it! we also had to say every day its not christmas yet its the next day, but for him to willingly visit santa was a big change from last year. hope you have many more christmases that are happy for you xx

Post a Comment

Google analytics