Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott for December 01, 2024

I refuse to do it. Our son is visiting in ten days. My wife will try to cajole him into it.

That’s how you know it’s Christmas. The chill in the air, that sip of hot cocoa, and the scorching language pouring out of frustrated home decorators.

Did this Friday.

“Tis the Season!

Yup.

Tangled Christmas tree lights are often shown in comics, and also in sitcoms. In reality, though, it’s not worth the frustration of spending an hour untangling them. If the lights being put away after Christmas are worth saving, I always wrapped them carefully around a storage rack designed for the purpose, or else something like an empty paper towel roll. Strings of miniature lights are still cheap enough to throw away any tangled ones, and then just replace them.

Festive magnetic stickers on the garage door saying Merry Christmas. 2 projectors on house. Takes about 20-30 minutes.

We live in a small apartment so home decorating is minimal: just a Nativity, a Charlie Brown tree, and a few little nicknacks. However, I am in charge of the Christmas Tree at our church; yesterday was my 26th year, and I love it.

The the curse of the HELLidays are upon us.

Think’n bout some net lights on the shrubbery, but I have to get up in the attic and find them…

Quit your bellyaching, you Grinch! It’s best to put them up now before it gets too cold!

When I was a kid in 60’s, our tradition was, Sunday after Thanksgiving, dad put up the lights, mom and I did inside decorations and decorated the tree. First Sunday after New Years, everything got put away.

I got ours done yesterday. That job is always better behind than in front of one. It was easier this year because last year, I kept all the strings neatly coiled and labeled, so they went right up with no swearing this year.

Before lovely artificial trees, we put real trees up 2 days before the 25th and took them down January 1st. If the parents were hosting a New Year’s Eve party it came down on the 31st because they worried that smokers in a small living room, coupled with a dry tree, could be a recipe for disaster. My father was an insurance adjuster and knew how bad a Christmas tree fire could be.

Funny

Expect the Christmas music will start being played in the local Walmart and over the city’s PA system all through downtown. Christmas lights will also be on on all the lamp posts.

My wife will put up her menorah on one end of the mantle and I’ll put up the little foot-tall artificial tree on the other end. Then the cat will knock them both down.

Last year’s Darryl strikes again!

My decorating is easy, one Charlie Brown tree coming up.

We usually have ours done by the second weekend after Thanksgiving. But this year we took our time and worked in stages and everything was up by November 3rd. What? We are in Canada.

My parents’ solution: leave the lights up year round, and turn them on for Christmas and other selected special occasions (like their kids visiting).

Christmas movies fill the movie channels!

i once left my Christmas tree up for 9 years

That might JUST explain why Santa keeps skipping me.

an’ that’s why, if you just leave ’em up all year…..

That’s what they make hose reels for.

This reminds me of Christmas story, when dad is fixing the furnace.

[singing] Oh be careful little ears what you hear [/singing] Or rather, oh be careful big fat mouth what you say.

Since my Wife brought Aggie the Great Pyrenees into our life, outdoor decor has ceased to exist. Mainly because she destroyed most of it last year. This is really annoying to me because I actually enjoy the outdoor lights and decorations.

My goodness! Stars, swirls and knives….in front of the kids?!