Say it with me kids...

DEBACLE.



Holidays stress me out.


I don’t know when this all began, I used to adore them. Over the top decorating, big parties that I wrote clever invitations to; I was Merry, Merry, Merry!


The last couple of years, I have managed to create even more angst to my holiday season in the form of “home improvement projects”!


Was it just last year, (or the year before that) we tore the entire entryway up? The stairs to the upper level were literally ripped out. It was hard enough for those of us with two legs to navigate our way up to bed at night, poor Tucky had many narrow escapes from an early demise. That obstacle course put a damper on me and Mikey’s holiday drinking too; one needed to be sober to navigate that death trap successfully.


Hardwood floors redone? Yep… I remember I chose the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas for that too! Suffice it to say it was a disaster and they had to come back after the New Year to do it again… this time using the correct color of stain! My heart still pounds just thinking about that debacle.


“Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior”, they say.


Well there you have it.


Yesterday, on a whim… I tore out two entire rooms of carpet. Full disclosure: my sister-in-law Kat came over to help, (aka: run this project). I had called her for advice regarding my idea, but had talked myself out of it on the same phone call having quickly overwhelmed myself. “I should probably wait until after the holidays” was my new found and very sane thought. “Well what are you doing right now?” she asked me. “Sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and apparently talking myself out of a hare-brained idea”, I replied as I glanced at the clock; 9:15am. Kat is a machine; “I’ll be over in an hour to help you, find some sharp blades!” Ru-roh…


You should have seen the look of horror on Mikey’s face when he unexpectedly stopped by the house between meetings that morning. In a mere 45 minutes, Kat and I removed carpet, pad and staples from the two adjoining rooms! Even more amusing was Kat’s attempt to cover for me… “What are you doing home, we’re not done yet”… or something like that! Done yet? We don’t even have a plan much less a plan to be done!


This is the room we decorate our 10-foot Christmas tree in, which is usually up for Thanksgiving. Today marks the first day of December; Nicholas, our Christmas Elf, is aghast.


So as I scurry around painting baseboards today, stressing over the contents of my dining room hutch laid out all over my kitchen table for God knows how long and second-guessing my own sanity, you all enjoy your beautifully decorated, Christmas-ready homes. Light a cozy fire, get out your Christmas Cocktail recipes, and be sure the timer is set for your perfectly strung outdoor lights (another failure of ours, Nick points out daily).


Moreover, if you are truly in the holiday spirit… invite me over for a drink; I need one!


Peppermint martini anyone?