Decorating for Two

Years ago our neighborhood included a features writer for the local newspaper.  Sometimes when short of material, she would feature a neighbor—one’s garden, a hobby, a special talent.

So it was that Cookie knocked on our door one afternoon early in the Christmas season.  Lured by a festive wreath on our door, she wanted to know if she could feature our home’s holiday decorations.

Cookie stepped inside to find the mother lode.  My wife Janice has many talents, and one of them is filling a space with Christmas cheer. Give her some evergreen, beads, a few pinecones and a glue gun, and Janice will produce joy to the world. She is the MacGyver of Merriment.  She’s Martha Stewart with a lousy agent.

Cookie feasted her eyes, and later her camera, on our stairwell roped in greenery, our platoon of Santas, our table set with special dishes and candles, the 12-days-of-Christmas tree, and a rustic nativity.  Our massive, main Christmas tree--always a real one--was festooned with 100-feet of lights and hundreds of eclectic ornaments, some of them handmade by Janice in our early years when we couldn’t afford anything as elegant glass balls. 

And that’s just what Cookie could see from the foyer. She was enthusiastic in her plans for a colorful photo spread. Whether it was enough to entice Cookie to flip allegiance from Judaism to the other side, I cannot say.

A few days later our Sunday newspaper included colorful photos of our decked-out home.  The largest picture was of our family in front of the tree. Lesley was dressed in a white satin and Whit a red sweater. Janice and I looked at the article with initial embarrassment, but—hey—we are who we are.  To paraphrase Jesus, people don’t put their icicle lights under a bushel.

That article was published 25 years ago.  Cookie moved to Florida. Our kids grew up to have kids of their own.  Now it is just Janice and me asking each other the question we asked last December and the December before that—are we going to do it all again this year?

By “all” we mean the whole Christmas enchilada. Is all the decorating worth it?  Just for the two of us?

Like every family, we loved Christmas with kids in the house. With Lesley and Whit, we could justify almost any expense, any effort toward Christmas memory making, as worth it.  But the seasons of children at home are fleeting.  Janice and I have now celebrated almost a half-century of Christmases together, and less than half of those included a child under our roof.

Before baby made three, then four, there was just the two of us.  Whatever we invested in each other to show love and build Christmas memories was worth it then, so isn’t it still worth it now?

Our first Christmas together was especially sweet.  I was in school and working evenings at a grocery store.  Janice worked in an office downtown.  Combined we raked in a whopping 90 bucks a week, which paid for our three-room apartment, car, food, tuition and, in 1971, our first Christmas tree.

I came in from the Food Town one night to find Janice excitedly making ornaments out of ribbon, fragments of lace, faux pearls, tiny angels and—I kid not—empty tuna fish cans.  They were lovely.  We still hang them on our tree.

My conclusion that year—probably in error—was that what Janice wanted most for Christmas was a sewing machine.  I could not afford much, but I found a deal. It was a cabinet model, but the cabinet was busted, so I got it cheap.  With the help of a sympathetic uncle’s workshop, I mounted the machine to a wooden Coca-Cola crate that I sanded smooth and stained.  Never have I been so excited about a gift.

Janice knew—accurately—that I wanted a camera.  Secretly, she squirreled away a few dollars a week and found a nice, used Pentax SLR. I still remember the joy of opening the box and finding that unexpected gift inside.

That was 48 Christmases ago. Of the intervening years I can’t remember every tree and every present.  I can’t recall what I was feeling each Christmas Day.  Yet I can tell you that it was always worth it. It always is.  

This year we decided to leave a few little decorations packed away. We did, however, drape the staircase in garland and lights and put the big wreath on the door.  We once again splurged for the big Fraser Fir and loaded it with all our ornaments.  It was fun to do it together.  It was worth it.

There is a song by Sufjan Stevens called Christmas in the Room.  The opening lyrics go:

No travel bags, no shopping malls
No candy canes, no Santa Claus
For as the day of rest draws near
It's just the two of us this year

No silver bells or mistletoe
We'll kiss and watch our TV show
I'll come to you, I'll sing to you
Like it's Christmas in the room
I'll dance with you, I'll laugh with you
'Til it's Christmas in the room

No traffic jams, no ice and storm
Far in the house, the fire is warm
No Christmas tree, no great parade
It's just an ordinary day

No parties planned, no place to go
It's just the two of us alone
And in the house we see a light
That comes from what we feel inside

I'll come to you, I'll sing to you
Like it's Christmas in the room
I'll dance with you, I'll laugh with you
'Til it's Christmas in the room

This song foretells a future we fear, but should feel blessed to see.  If we live long enough, the day will come when I am no longer strong enough to carry a big tree from the top of the car and into the house. The day will come when Janice won’t be able to stand on a ladder to hang garland on the front porch. Christmas then will become simpler and less adorned.  

But at the heart of it all there will still be a bright light.  It’s source will be the ever-present love of the Christ child, Immanuel, God with us.  It will be amplified by our shared love, nurtured through so many Christmases together.  We will think back on the big trees. We will remember the hours putting up and taking down. We will remember children in their Christmas clothes.  

And it will be worth it.

Comments

Unknown said…
AWESOME!! I Love how you share your life and LOVE for each other and our Savior thru your life/marriage/family/teaching. It is COMMITTMENT 24/7!
It is called "Personal witness" and daily "Shining" by living what you believe and teaching thru example. This is the reason for the awesome families you've BLESSED & continue to mentor.
You and Janice are LOVED and APPRECIATED BY MANY!!

Love & Prayers,
Your Friend,
Jodi Judge
Stephanie said…
Beautiful as always!! Thank you.

Stephanie