Despite the past weekend being full of spooky and haunting Halloween fun, my mom tried to convince my sister and me to put up the Christmas trees.
I had to remind her that tradition dictates that Christmas decorations have to wait until Thanksgiving weekend.
There was lots of pouting and puppy-dog sort of looks, but, we stood firm.
After all, I’ll need more energy to get 30-plus plastic totes from the attic storage space.
That requires a big lunch like Thanksgiving and more hands available on deck to help.
It’s just easier when my brother is here since he’s taller and can run the middle part of the assembly line.
Mom is always situated at the top so she can make sure she gets the right boxes down and I’m at the end because I can help stack the boxes according to weight when they’re handed down to me.
Mike also helps with that part and with rearranging things before we head inside.
But, still, it’s not the sort of thing to do during Halloween.
Plus, I like having that little lull between holidays to get a little more focused on rest and relaxation rather than rushing to decorate.
I had to remind her that if we got the ornament and decoration boxes down from the attic, they’d be taking up space in her living room until we were done and I had no idea how long that would take over time rather than in its traditional burst of Christmas enchantment.
It also helped that I could remind mom that we were celebrating the rest of my birthday with my sister and that Christmas decorations weren’t something I wanted to deal with.
Granted, I’m sure we’ll work on transitioning between holidays over time until Thanksgiving, but, I can take it in small portions rather than the large to-do.
Even then, mom is getting excited and itching to craft wreaths and swags, and other handmade decorations.
I’m spending more time enjoying watching my rescue cat Loki disrupt her plans and get into things.
I can already picture the sheer disaster and loss of ornaments if we put up the trees now versus later on in November.
I know it was in the double digits last year, but I’d definitely keep a running record this year just to compare to the destruction he makes as he gets older.
Loki’s got a penchant for boxes and making toys out of everything from straws and Q-Tips to beads and ribbon spools.
After all, he’s the cat that taught himself how to play fetch and has no restraint when he’s feeling playful.
Once or twice mom has even said that he reminds her of a toddler – always getting into something, making a mess, or annoying the other cats.
I don’t have much experience on that point since I don’t have kids or toddlers, but I do find it amusing to watch him play around.
Even when he’s being annoying and won’t leave me alone in the mornings and attacks my feet.
Long story short, I’m trying to save mom’s Christmas trees and decorations from the would-be ravages of a playful cat while masquerading it as my need to space out holidays.
