The great debate...

I've been decking my halls the past few days....fa, la, la, la, la.  OR fa-ra-ra-ra-ra as it is said in my most favorite-EST  Christmas movie (and from where my blog title comes from) "A Christmas Story".  I'm sure once Christmas gets closer, and the temps DROP to a more seasonal cold (geesh, how DO people don their gay apparel when it is 65 degrees out!), I will post  more about our family's tradition as it pertains to that movie.  But for now, I've been trudging up and down my basement stairs carrying boxes (ad nauseum) of be-decking materials, while pondering a highly sensitive and controversial issue that rears it's ugly head when Christmas season approaches.....right after Labor Day!

So many difficult decisions require our attention when celebrating Christmas.  Beliefs and traditions often influence our choices on these matters.   Personally, I don't care if long-standing family holiday recipes get tweaked, if I have a real tree vs. an artificial one, if we go to the Christmas Eve 6:00 family service or the midnight candlelight service, or if the kids wake ME up Christmas morning or if I have to go jump in THEIR beds and then devilishly make them wait til I put on a pot of coffee before they come downstairs.   However, there is ONE thing I am unwavering on...

ONLY WHITE LIGHTS ON MY TREE AND IN MY YARD!!!!!  No ifs, ands,  or buts on this.  I stand firm in my belief and I know my decorating rights!  Except for a brief adolescent obsession with my neighbor's white Christmas tree that stood before an illuminated multi-colored rotating disc which transformed the tree into a constant change of colors (hey! I wore bright blue eye shadow at the time too so my choices were suspect at best!) I have been steadfast in my devotion to white lights.  It's clean, it's pristine, reminiscent of snowflakes, it's the perfect backdrop to show off colorful ornaments, it's classic.  It's the "little black dress" of the Christmas hall decking.

I know others do not share my belief and they opt instead for an assortment of multi-colored twinkling lights.  I hold no prejudice or judgement.  This is America, and I believe the "Bill of Rights" gives us the freedom to choose, or is it the "Bill of Lights"?.  On second thought...it's probably TARGET that tells us we can switch back and forth as often as we'd like.   But as my dad use to sooooo often admonish me "When you have YOUR house Kathy, you can do as you like!  But this is MY house so get use to it!". Being the Christmas decorating junkie my family puts up with, I do believe I have molded them into a cult of white light worshipers.  Let's just say, I'm pretty sure when it comes time for my "Things" to choose their future spouses, their wedding vows WILL include "until colored lights do us part"!

Happy decorating!

--Kathy