Knead to Know with Hollis – Dec 8th

There is a reason why I decorate in early November. It’s because when I get to this point in December when many people are in full decoration mode, I am usually….spent. If I am being honest. As one of the busiest seasons at the market, Christmas is firing at all cylinders starting mid-October and I have been planning for it since August. As one of my MOST favourite seasons I have learned that in order for me to really embrace and enjoy it I need to start early.

 

I like to amortize my investment of time and energy decorating over as manyyyyy days as I reasonably can. For me, that means 2 full months of enjoyment all through November and December. This way I can soak it all in over time and when I am feeling festive fatigue right about now I know the heavy lifting (in the decorating department at least) is all under control.

 

It doesn’t mean that I have it done and perfectly executed however. I get done what I can get done and when the joy in decorating dissipates, I just stop. I had totes of bottle brush trees in my kitchen “in hopes that I would feel like putting up the rest later”. Spoiler alert I didn’t. I just carried them back to the basement yesterday, admitting defeat. Even though I know myself, I still keep that spark of hope alive that I may do a little more decorating. Would it be better to admit I likely won’t and carry them to the basement immediately? Perhaps. But it feels too soon in early November to give up. And so I looked at them for a month, moved them a zillion times to get to the cereal cupboard and then put them away. Ah, the inner battles we fight!

 

I also have a tote of coloured strings lights for my tree that I need to repair before I can put on the tree. I have the tree fully lit in white, and then half lit in colour (until I ran out of working coloured lights). I put the tote to the side, hoping to get back to it soon. Truth be told, I know I won’t get to it either. But until I admit defeat with my tree lights I will look at my tote of broken string lights and keep hoping I’ll magically get them repaired in time.

 

Maybe I need to put a call into The Grinch. I have heard he takes Christmas trees that don’t light on one side home to his workshop, fixes them up there and brings them back here… sounds like great service.