Previously Recorded: Holiday Chaos of 2017

So I wasn't going to post this... but I want to remember it.  And I haven't posted anything since we got married, so....


The holidays are a flop, bust, epic failure around our house. Zero holiday spirit.  Except for my shopping is almost done!

Last year we did it all.  Tasteful outdoor lights, real garland around the windows and openings inside the house.  Our beautiful tree, carefully decorated in our front window.  Picture perfect, fresh and excited homeowners.

But this year....

If you follow me on Instagram, you know we have been renovating our kitchen.  Since October...

The refrigerator is still in my living room, and pieces of furniture have been displaced all over the house.  There is a huge box containing the range hood hanging out in the middle of the floor, and the dining room is a chaotic mess of tools, materials, and all the things that belong IN the kitchen.  We make coffee every morning in the living room, on the coffee table (fitting), because it's the closest available outlet.  I've been doing dishes in the bathroom for the last two months, and I already have a new rug in waiting because the one we have now is completely destroyed, despite every effort to keep up on the cleaning.

We have tried to keep the dust to a minimum- but now, we will use it as a guide to know what hasn't been cleaned yet when this whole process is over.

We've gone back and forth about shoving more furniture to the side to fit a Christmas tree in the corner of the living room.  Do we decorate the whole thing, or just the front half?  Is it even worth it?  Should we just put the top half of the tree up and have a mini tree?  Yes, do it, we need a place to put presents.  No, it's not worth it.  It always comes down to whether we want more clutter in an already cramped space at this point. And I don't- I desperately want it all to just go away. I've thought about buying a small (like really small), real tree just for ambiance- but then remember that that would be bringing more stuff IN... and I'd have to water it.

We went for a walk in the blizzard the other night.  Admiring our neighbors decorations.  And then there was our house... so dark and spiritless.  Maybe I'll get a wreath for the front door and call it good...

I know, I know- whine whine whine (I'd really like wine, wine, wine)

I was driving to work today, thinking about putting any holiday decor out at all... Thinking how someday this could be a good teaching moment for our nonexistent children.  A tree is a luxury.  If we don't have a tree this year, I can really say to them- "You know kids, one year your dad and I didn't even have a Christmas tree up" (I sort of chuckle at this because for us, it's a choice to put up a tree or not- but also totally something my parents would have said to us to scare us into being good, or make us feel bad for them)- and then I can whip out the book I am going to make of all the photos from start to finish and show them how lucky we were- tree or not- to be renovating our kitchen. And how lucky they are to still have married parents after the whole ordeal.  The End.

What's the point? I don't know.  Maybe it's all once step further to skipping the stuff and spending holidays with family, without all the hoopla.  Being together is what matters most.  Although, I wouldn't want ANYONE to enter my chaotic home at this point to spend time with me.  There's no place for you to sit anyway.  So decorate your tree's folks- We're coming over!

Cabinets go in Monday, and we probably won't have a tree up this year. Bah Humbug

Update: We did not put up a tree and THE REFRIGERATOR IS OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM.  Woo hoo!

So it really wasn't as bad as I made it seem in the 'post' above. We had a great holiday season with family and friends.

We are so close to finishing this epic renovation, and I think I'll do a post once we are all done showing the whole process.

I hope your 2018 is off to an amazing start.  Our motto this year: Anytime something goes our way- no matter how big or small- "2018 is going (or "still going") to be a great year"! 😂 So original...

Anyway, hope you got a chuckle out of that nonsense up there.