When You Give A Girl Some Egg Nog

What one word or phrase would describe your house right now? Festive? Decorated? Santa-ready? Stockings hung by the chimney with care?

My word is un-Christmas-y.

What? That’s not a word, you say?

Don’t argue with me; I’m not in the mood. If I say it’s a word, it’s a word.

Despite my current state of mind, I love the holidays. Both Hubby and I do.  We go all-out: décor outside and in; a fully decorated “real” tree (nothing faux here); an explosion of red and green everywhere.  The highlight for us is our Christmas card, a unique creation that visually tells the story of our year.

We decorate as though we had children. Our four-legged fur daughter just sighs each year when we bring in the tree that blocks her view of the backyard.

We love having people over to share the holidays and have fun in our home.  No grinches allowed!

Yet this year is different.  We’re just not in the mood.

Hubby’s travel schedule has been grueling. This fall my travel was crazy too.  Both of us have shoulder injuries that have us feeling less-than-one hundred percent.  And recently we’ve dealt with sad news of the passing of two friends just at holiday time.

That all adds up. And it’s drained us.

Where does that leave us decoration-wise?

We purchased the dead tree, a.k.a. a Christmas tree, and even managed to get the lights on.  But that’s it.   We added a few poinsettias, thanks to mom and her voracious appetite for Black Friday sales.  In a burst of energy fueled by caffeine and football excitement, Hubby even got the decorations out of the closet and moved them to the living room where they’ve sat ever since.

The boxes and bags allude to holiday décor, with labels that read, “Green and purple glass ornaments”, “Assorted Christmas stuff”, and “Wooden Nativity”.  All are marked “Fra-gee-lay”. 

That last one was our attempt one year at Christmas humor.  Watch the film, “A Christmas Story” if you don’t understand.

To top things off, Hubby took off again this week on one of his whirl-wind business trips.  That means if I want decorations, I’m on my own.

Part of me wants to just sit on the couch, eat cookies, drink some egg nog, close my eyes and hope that Santa’s Elves will magically appear, decorate and leave.   

The problem with that plan, aside from the obvious – that the elves would put the ornaments in the wrong place, duh – is that it means I’ve ceded control of my Christmas holiday.  I’m letting other things take the reins in terms of the way I want my holiday to turn out.

Now that I think about it, I don’t let other people or things take control of my personal brand message in business; why should I let a little tiredness or holiday cray-cray get the best of me and take control of my Christmas?

Well that’s not happening to this gal.  I’m going to pull myself off of the couch, drink my eggnog, turn on the holiday tunes and start decorating.  Watch out; our house will be decorated so well that when Hubby gets home he won’t even recognize this place!

That’s what happens when you give a girl some egg nog.