Son # 1 and I were recently discussing the details of putting up Christmas lights around our house this year.
I remember my Grandpa Driscoll would put up lights all around his house when I was a child. He would put lights all around the house, and then he expanded it to the front porch. He would wrap lights and garlands around the handrails. He stretched them from the top of his purple Martin birdhouse in four directions. Then, he put lights around his carport. He draped the bushes with net lights. And he had three or four lighted reindeer on the lawn.
I inherited that from him, I think. I’m not good at it by any means, but we like to decorate for Christmas around here. I will go cut small branches off nearby pine trees and hang them anywhere they look somewhat acceptable. I’ve laid an axe to the trunk and stuffed a cedar tree in a Prius to decorate a front porch. Our motto is, that electricity exists, so why not allow it to reach its fullest potential? Spreading Christmas joy. It’s probably a good thing Christmas lights aren’t cheap because we’d buy more than we could handle.
Last year, Son #1 chose colored lights to put around the roof. This year, we asked him again, and he still chose the colored lights. We asked Son #2 as well, and he chose the colored lights over the plain white lights.
Charity and I like the white lights or the alternating red and white lights. But we will acquiesce to the children’s choice. It is all about them and the wonder they feel when they see the lights for the first time.
Son #1 told me not to forget the candy canes for his room. I said he didn’t need any candy canes in his room, but we might get some to put outside.
He stretched his arms as far apart as he could get them and said I needed to buy some “this” big.
I told him he could buy them with the money he had saved. He smiled a very slight smile, and while still facing me, looked out the corner of his eyes toward the other room.
“Uh, no, I’m good. You can buy them though.”
“But you’ve got some money saved up. If you want them so much, you can get them.”
He sighed and let out a little laugh. “Uh, Dad, let me share something with you.” He replied, “I don’t want to spend my money. You can spend your money.”
He looked at me straight in the eyes. “You got this, Dad. I believe in you.”
Well, I’m glad someone does, son.
to the most wonderful time of the year,
– Caleb
caneymountainblog.com 