Post-Thanksgiving Post

The final Thanksgiving meal is done. Whew.

Thanksgiving is a weird holiday for me. My mom never made too much of a thing of it. I can remember seeing TV families celebrating. The dad carving the turkey at the table. Do people actually do that? Ours was always electric knifed and plattered on the table, ready to consume. The TV families always seemed odd to me.

Thanksgiving was of course about the food and being thankful and all that crap. But what Thanksgiving really meant (and means) to me is the day CHRISTMAS STARTS!

Once the dishes were done and put away the real fun began. Down came the ornaments, down came the tree (artificial-real ones are too messy and make me itch like a mofo). This was the official kick off to Christmas at my house. Wheeeeeeeeee!

My Mom decorates for Christmas.

She was Martha-ing up the joint before there was Martha. The women will decorate anything that will hold still long enough. And it is always beautiful.

My Mother's tree is always the most beautiful tree I've ever seen. When we were kids, it was covered in ornaments that we'd made or picked out. It was still gorgeous. My mom was the first person I knew who used clear lights. She was the first person to use solid colored lights. When multicolored lights were back in vogue-she was a year ahead of everyone else.

When she "changes" her tree Mom doesn't go to the local Hobby Lobby and buy a Christmas Tree Kit. She goes everywhere. She will sometimes use some things she already has on hand and add to them. She usually picks up things at different places. Including the grocery store. She never spends outrageous amounts of money either. She says that'd be silly, since she'll want to change everything in a year or two anyway. Gotta love her.

I love my Mom's house at Christmas. We lived in a trailer when I was a kid and I remember thinking that our house was the prettiest one in town at Christmas. It was.

My Mom and step-Dad live in a beautiful log house now. By the time my Mom finishes this year it will look like a magazine. They came over this evening and we had Thanksgiving with them. After the dishes were in the dishwasher, we started on my trees.

Lullah had put her tree up Thanksgiving afternoon (it's extremely pretty and very pink). So we put the one in the living room together and the three tiny trees in my dining room together. We'll finish the decorating tomorrow.

My mom had a stroke one October evening 5 years ago. You would never know it if you saw her on the street today. That Christmas was the only year that she has't completely decorated her house. Lullah and I broke in and put the tree up while she was at physical therapy. But it wasn't the same. I just can't do the things my Mom can do with floral wire, greenery and some balls. Seriously.

So on this and every Thanksgiving one of the things I am thankful for is Christmas.

My Mom is still here to help me get my Martha on and I see sparks of her ability in Lullah every year. I love Thankschristmas.