If you looked up “Extra Christmas Mom” in the dictionary, my mother’s picture would appear. Growing up, we only had one tree in the house, but now she has managed to put her touch on three trees every year! Two upstairs and one for downstairs. My mother spends days upon days and long nights to make sure her house is perfect just in time for Christmas morning. Nearly every surface has her holiday touch upon it including the bathrooms. It truly is like you have walked into a magazine-style photoshoot.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
If only I could take you on a tour of the last three decades of what my family home looks like during the “most wonderful time of year.” You see, taking you back to the early ’90s, I can remember watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on the television and being so excited I could hardly stand it when my mom would finally convince my Dad to pull out all of the Christmas magic from the attic . . . only to be disappointed that she wouldn’t let me help make the tree look beautiful. In return, she purchased a miniature pre-lit tree for my bedroom and let me pick out teeny tiny ornaments to place on it. It was a sad little tree much like Charlie Brown’s. So, if you fit into the uptight Christmas controller category here is an option for you.
A Classy Christmas
I recently asked my husband if he thought I was an “Extra Christmas Mom.” You see, Dear Husband enjoys comparing real-life situations to sitcoms, and this particular conversation was in comparison to The Office episode titled: “Classy Christmas.” He proceeded to tell me that he prefers for the Christmas season to be fun and laid back. He then explained that he relates to the character Michael Scott before Michael finds out that Holly is coming back to Scranton from New Hampshire. Once Michael finds out Holly will be arriving soon, the Christmas party has to be fancy and not fun anymore . . . also known as a “Classy Christmas.”
I suppose he might be hinting at our very first Christmas together. I may or may not have told him he couldn’t help me decorate the tree after he tried to put all of the ornaments on top of the tree. My tree would NOT have looked so perfect just as I had envisioned if I left it to him. He leads on that he was a professional wrapper too, but let’s just say he ended up only wrapping one gift under the tree after he showed me his “skills”.
So, I will accept the fact that the old cliché saying is true—I certainly am my mother’s daughter!
While we lovingly joke with my mom about the infinite amount of time she spends on all of the minute holiday details, her response every time is,
“When [she] is no longer present on Earth, her hope is that her family will always remember Nana’s house on Christmas.”
I have to say, she is right . . . and I can’t argue with the Queen of Christmas.
We will remember her three impeccably decorated trees, her two exquisite dining room tables, each with elegant tablecloths, crisp cloth napkins placed in napkin rings, china place settings that have been passed down from prior generations atop a charger, and to top it off, each member of the family has their own salt and pepper shaker at their seat.
