Christmas in Summer - STILL WEIRD

We pulled out the ol' Christmas tree from its home (box) in the laundry room last week. It's been kind of sitting in the living room, waiting for us to unpack it and dutifully craft its pointy branches to make it look like a real Douglas fir. Wednesday, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, is the standard day to get your Christmas tree ready here in BA, but since José was sick I really didn't feel like doing it on my own. I mean, it's the Christmas tree! Not just a regular household chore.

After scarfing down some delivery McDonald's (don't judge, please) I decided to take that important first step and unpack our little 3-part tree and get the process going. I have since scratched myself 3 times on the damn thing and ALL I WANT IS A REAL TREE !!!!! I'm also on You Tube and making José listen to "All I Want for Christmas is You" and other musical delights to get him in the holiday spirit. Next time I go home, I'm hitting up one of those year-round holiday bazaars and stocking up on quality decorations so when the time comes I will be ready to make the house look like a Winter Wonderland that happened to be created in summer.

It's just such a strange feeling, getting things ready for Christmas when you're far away from all of the things that remind you of the holidays. I feel so nostalgic for the silly things, like cozying up next to the fireplace to look at the lights, or watching Home Alone late at night when I was home from BC for break, or the slew of festive (and fattening) holiday parties, cookie exchanges, cocktails, and tacky sweater parties. I almost wish we didn't have a fake tree and instead just decorated a palm tree or one of our ficus or something. At least that way we wouldn't be faking it.

Once the tree goes up and is all decorated I know it will be perfect and I will be so excited. I'm also happy that someone in my family will get to see it this year - last year D&D were supposed to come and I was beyond happy to show them our little tree and our house. Then the blizzard from hell ruined that. Probably not a good psychological experience. Now Mere will be coming from foggy Londontown and we'll be in BA to celebrate - hooray !

Now if only I could get over the fear of my oven and start baking cookies ...