I'm a Mean One...

What is the matter with me? Why in the name of all that sparkles on the tree is it like this every single year? I decorate the house with Christmas. I put up a tree. I stand back admiring and say to myself, This room needs a tree year round. It makes the room warmer, brighter, cozier, more beautiful. How do we even live here without a tree? And I love the one upstairs that peeks out to all who go by saying tenderly and sweetly - May your days be bright!!!

As Christmas approaches I think, This year will be much different. I am going to leave my tree up well into January, you know, settle into Christmas and embrace it for a while. After all, Christmas really begins on December 25th and that's when the celebration should start!

Is it the year change? Do numbers really tell the story? Because at about 12:21am January 1st every year I'm looking around thinking, This stuff has got to go! Who left this silly train track in the middle of the floor? Please, if I see another Christmas cookie I'm gonna puke. And what in the world is that tree doing in our living room???

So, what's today, the 6th? It's all done. I took all the decorations down on the 3rd and that was too late. Packed 'em up tight, lickety split. I did it all before most of my family got out of bed. The fake trees remained until today because I needed help with them. They are now packed up tight and in their proper storage spots in the garage. The lights on the house have been removed. The only thing that remains is the star, which is sitting on the piano until I go down to the basement for laundry. It will be popped into a box on the shelf down there. And then, like the Grinch herself, I will have successfully dismantled Christmas!

Humming with satisfaction, as I carry the star to it's box...I'm a mean one, hm hm hm, I'm really quite a heel, hm hm cuddly as a cactus hm hm charming as an eel hm hm hmmm!