Every year the same Christmas decorations are hauled up from the basement in their gigantic blue Tupperware containers (can they be called that or have they graduated to a new word when they’re way too huge to hold your lasagna leftovers?). And every year they vomit every Christmas decoration we have all over the house and every shelf and chair and table. And every year I take a few and carefully put them back in the containers when no one’s looking where they will go back to rest in the basement cause it is Christmas overload in this house if they’re all out and everywhere and, folks, it ain’t a good Christmas overload. So, like I said, some get put away, just some, but never this one. This Nativity Advent calendar always gets taken out, hung on the basement door, and remains out until Christmas is over. You’re thinking, “Well of course! Of course you’d put this sweet Nativity Calendar out! ‘Tis more “reason for the season” than any of the others!” WRONG. Here’s why. Two words: William and Lindsey. (Three words?) Every year without fail (seriously every single year) they cannot come to an agreement on who puts which ones up. It seems so simple to Steve and I. One person gets odd numbers, one person gets even. But, I suspect William, who is up earlier than Lindsey, takes advantage (early bird catches the worm!) and puts more up than he is allowed. This is fitting for William. He can be a bit of the “might makes right” mindset and thus rotten to his little sister. Yes, sweet William! And then Lindsey, seeking retribution, puts all of them up when he’s not looking (happened tonight) and then William, noticer-of-everything-misser-of-nothing stands in front of the calendar and places then back in their pockets until the appropriate corresponding day arrives. A battle of the wills. It is preposterous, the whole thing, and I might burn it next year.
But here’s why we probably deserve this nonsense: we lost the baby Jesus. Of all the pieces.
siblings…
believe me there are worse things!
HAHAHAHA
Poor baby Jesus. He's always getting caught in the crossfire.
If I had any siblings growing up, I might have strangled them!
P.S. I just accepted a job south of Boston! So excited to move up there!
this is the funniest advent calendar drama I have ever heard. I love your family, and your ability to capture these moments so eloquently.
This was my and my brother, all of growing up. Except our's was a giant Christmas tree and every day you safety pinned a Christmas ball to it. Since I am anal and OCD it was all about symmetry and placement. My brother…not so much. All's well that ends well though, we are now the best of friends. That being said…I would still force him to hang them symmetrically.
I love it. Seriously. They will remember this with fondness, not for the irksomeness that it is.
And the baby Jesus part…I can relate.
My daughter kept stealing our Nativity baby Jesus and replacing it with one she made out of playdough. Then our dog ate it. Lucky for us we had the original, for about three days. The dog ate that one too. Never Mary, never Joseph.
The dog has damned us I am sure.
You lost Jesus? Hahahahaha!
Funny. Makes me want to stick with one kid, So I don't have to deal with that, and so she can just be spoiled and get all the prizes. 🙂
@merry2181, so funny. that sounds a little like the two of them!
@melanie, that story is too funny.
Okay…I did the same thing with my brother. I would wake up early and come out to breakfast early just to put up the piece before him. If that wasn't enough, on the days I didn't manage to get them on the board before him, I'd take his down and rearrange them to make them look "better". It's the nativity for crying out loud!! ha…They'll grow out of it and you'll all look back and laugh 🙂 Poor baby Jesus!
My bet, He will show up at Easter.