Jolly Holly Ho Ho

Oh Christmas tree! Oh Christmas tree! Wherefore art thou Christmas tree?



I am once again, this is the second year in a row, not putting my tree up. Now, stop with the looks, I mean it. I know those looks. I used to give my mother that look. My reasons are not of the bah humbug variety. Seriously. Not. We have a house that snugly fits four people tops. We entertain in the Spring Summer and Indian Summer since during those times the weather is such that we stay outside. Christmas Eve will see at least 14 people jammed, and I mean jammed, into this cozy cottage. The dining table is moved into the living room and a card table is placed at the end and the kitchen area where the dining table was moved from has a fold away table put in place which holds food and people who cannot sit at the bigger table and we also have been known to use TV trays for the corner seats and so, as you can plainly see, no room for a tree. Oh, once upon a time I put the tree into the mix but now, all those tiny tots are bigger that I am and the tree? She has no place to be.

I love no tree when the season is over because as you can plainly see, no tree means no clean up of the area, no removing ornaments and storing in hard to get to places and so on and so forth. Now, before the festive eve of Christmas, I feel sad that we have no tree. The answer of course is a bigger house, smaller family, someone else do the cooking and serving and ask us over. Fat Chance on any of those things. I have a good rant in the works to get rid of the pent up rage I feel when I deal with one of the sisters-in-law. Later with that one.

Why are some of the family members so determined to make every family event THEIR family event? Help me through this and I swear, next year, I am booking a cruise.