Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for December 03, 2022

Captain Christmas

For me it only works until she can’t reach any higher then she takes over the directing.

All works of art need a director! 8^ )

I’m good for putting up the tree. In the dark past I was expected to get the lights up. I have never been trusted to hang any ornaments. More than that, I’m not allowed to know where they are even kept.

There’s labour, and there’s management.

Slept in. Woke up to find that the tree was decorated.

Tough job staying out of the way but I got it done.

HUMBUG

She’s dressed like an elf, he like Santa Claus . .

Mine is made out of clothes wire hangers, lights, a garland and tiny ball ornaments. 200 lights on an 18" high tree that blink at random. End of season, I put a garbage bag over it and put it behind the couch. Nice and easy.

At work I noticed the brainiacs in the Information Technology Department have started putting Christmas decorations up

IT’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

*in appreciation for all the hard work the GOCOMICS techie’s recently put in on our behalf!

Arlo is the Stephen Spielberg of Christmas tree decorating!

Arlo, the sidewalk supervisor

We usually draw lots on tree decoration. Loser gets to keep the cats away. I lost this year.

Now we know why Janis was scowling yesterday…

At first I thought Arlo had laryngitis and was giving hand signals to the football game on TV.

Three ornaments. Three!

Husband used to be in charge of the tree – I am Jewish – I used to hand him ornaments and then put away ornaments he handed me when we took the tree down. Then he lost interest and so for several decades I did the tree – and the smaller trees around the house (excess ornaments of one type or another results in a smaller tree to hold same) including a small beaded tree which I made.

Since the start of the pandemic he helps with the tree. Over the years I came up with the idea of decorating the tree in sections – travel ornaments in one section, ones related to our marriage in another, bear ornaments in another angels near the top of the tree – ditto stars, etc. Some general ornaments mixed in all around. In addition to making the tree interesting and helping the ornaments not get lost in the vast number it makes it much easier to take it all down. Easier to find the ornament which matches the box I am holding as I know what section it is in. He does not like that and taking the tree takes much longer now.

But he is still in charge of the outside decorations – which is why there is so much less outside.