Time passing too quickly

It seems this month is moving so rapidly I can't keep up. Too many tasks and not enough hours in a day to complete them all. Gifts to buy, packages to wrap, cookies to bake, candy to make, places to go, etc etc etc. I have managed to get the house decorated for the holiday at last. That is all except the Christmas tree which sits very lonely in the corner awaiting the return of Prince Charming to help us. Yeah, I could put the ornaments on and all would be well, but it just isn't the same without the family around to help, complain, rearrange the ornaments, you know the drill. See, whether they like it or not, it is a lifelong tradition for me that we do it together, Christmas music blaring, it just has to be. It's bad enough that my son is too many miles away to do this, the rest of them are just going to have to humor me. Now, if the weather can just cooperate long enough for my Prince Charming to drive home sometime this week between storms I will be content.

I'm pretty sure that if we ever hung all the ornaments we own on the tree at the same time, it would collapse from the weight. I'm not one of those "theme tree" kind of gals. No offense to those who do this. My mom did that a few times when I was growing up. One year all blue, or all red, or all silver, whatever struck her fancy at the time. I do have a vague recollection of the blue tree year, pretty sure I must have liked that one since I do actually remember it. I tried to do this last year, one with a country/bird theme. KIDS HAD A FIT!! What do you mean we can't hang our ornaments on the tree? You suck, this is stupid, and on and on and on.... Needless to say over the next few days more and more of the old favorites magically appeared on my designer tree. Pretty sure this will have been my one and only attempt at this seriously punishable offense.

So instead, out will come the old favorites, (some not so favorites), and the artificial limbs will be screeching protest of the massive weights nestled among them. I have this crazy blue felt/plastic bendy elf ornament that I have had since I was a kid. I didn't even know it still existed until my mother passed away a few years ago and I found it while dividing up all the Christmas ornaments with my siblings. Ugliest damn thing you have ever seen according to the rest of my family, but in my eyes is the most precious thing I own. A tiny sliver of days when it was ok to believe in Santa Claus, it was ok to play all day in the snow knowing a cup of cocoa was waiting, it was ok to curl up with Mom or Dad because everything was right with the world.

I have likely got the most bizarre collection of ornaments ever assembled in one place. Every year I get new ones to add to the old mix. There are ones from the kids soccer days, the bowling days, the prima donna phase, the fisherman phase, my cow obsession, and a large quanity of western theme ones. I love the glass birds that clip on the branches too. No lie, three huge Rubbermaid tubs full of ornaments. A mirror-tiled saddle (weird huh?), a hand sewn donkey from when Princess was like 7 and learned to sew, glass balls, metal pieces, Hallmark ones like Rudolph, the record player, etc. A hot air balloon that lights up, ok, maybe I have an addiction that needs to be addresssed.

Anyway, traditions are important to me. I simply can't do things any other way and I don't really think it's a bad thing. See, I hated being "made" to do this crap when I was little. Pitched the biggest fits you can imagine every time. Now, what I wouldn't give for just one more of those precious times with my parents to savor every last moment. So, I'll keep making my family do this. I'll let them pitch a fit, stomp their feet, moan, cry, whatever. Pull out all the stops guys, I'm ready for you. WE are decorating the tree together because some day, some where, you too will sit and wish you could have just one more time.

Enough with the serious! Bring on the snow (later in the week please), heat up the cocoa, stoke up the fire, gather your family and make memories. What about you out there in blog land? Do you have traditions with your families? Do you knock yourself out trying to do way too many things in too little time for the sake of tradition? Inquiring minds want to know......