My ideal December morning starts at 6 a.m. It was still dark and no one woke up. I made a big cup of coffee, sat on the sofa and turned on the light on the Christmas tree. I saw a magnificent green tree lovingly cut on the tree farm and decorated with handmade ornaments. The glare of the white lights made everything in my house look good, including myself who was tired of taking selfies with trees. At this moment, I think everything is beautiful.
But in alternate years, we made colorful lamps. I did the same morning routine, but it never felt the same. I struggled to get such a high vacation. “I just didn’t feel it this year,” I said as I packed the decorations on New Year’s Day. When I looked back at my mobile phone photo album, it was just a few photos of my decoration in the fireplace, nothing from the tree. I try to try and enjoy the lights as they are, but I truly believe (I know, I know) that the lights ruin my Christmas spirit. And, don’t be dramatic, it’s all my husband’s fault.
Let me set the stage by saying it’s not just the lights. The day after Thanksgiving we went and cut down trees, a tradition I started with the kids and in which she reluctantly participated, insisting that we shop in an unfit tree area halfway through. When we get the tree home, it will no doubt declare as we stop at the driveway, “There is no way I will take the tree tonight.” Obviously, after a few hours, the children become restless and beg you to take the tree inside. I went out to get a tree out of the roof of the car and put it inside. You’ll wake up from a nap and say something like, “If you need help, why don’t you ask me?” We placed the tree and went through a family dance: “Is it straight?” “Are you holding it?” – put it on the stand.
But it was a lamp that really stuck to my throat. When my children were young, my husband and I agreed to switch every year between colorful white lights for Christmas trees. I love white lights; She prefers colorful lights because it reminds her of her childhood in the 1980s. But here’s the thing: the colorful lights make me feel sad and don’t give me the feeling of Christmas magic. I am 100% white light equipment. They enhance all your other Christmas decorations and don’t overwhelm the ornaments. White lights are classic and are made to represent candlelight. Everything shines and shines.
Colorful lights are too bright and you can not see the ornaments. Last year I tried to buy a large C9 lamp, which has a cool vintage vibe, but now it’s LED and emits a color light show that bounces off all surfaces. When I first turned them on, I agreed that they felt happy and happy. But at 6 o’clock in the morning, drinking my coffee, it was not very good. Frankly, it’s a bit sickening to live inside a disco ball. Colorful lights flooded the space and removed all other Christmas decorations. I decided to turn off the lights.
When it was my white light years, I added a trillion arcs to the tree to give the feeling of colorful lights. I feel a little guilty that I’m so arrogant about white lights and think this is a good compromise. It turned out to be quite charming, and I felt happy. My husband’s reaction: “Why do you cover the tree with a bow? It seems ridiculous.” Well, baby, I’m trying to make it more fun for you.
But I realized that she didn’t care about Christmas decorations. A few weeks ago he said to me, “Can we skip that tree this year because no one cares?” Our children are 7 and 10 years old, and they definitely do! Then he blatantly suggested, “Let’s get a fake.” We’ve always cut down trees and it’s a tradition that my kids and I love. To be honest, this is just his style: he enjoys trying to get a boost from me, to the point of once sending a fake Amazon receipt from a fake Christmas tree with lights that went from white to colorful. And, well, I can admit it: I can take décor too seriously. But the thing is, every day of the year (it’s not a holiday) he’s the one who pleases. He was a YOLO and a very enthusiastic dad who would play all the expensive games and get slurpies in the amusement park. He used to tell me, “Come on, Katy, don’t be grumpy.”
So I asked my kids. Do you like white or colorful lights? The 10-year-old said: “The rainbow lights blended in and made the tree look like dirt. The white lights are elegant.” The 7-year-old told me, “I like colored lights because they flash and have different colors.” So there you have it: the white lights are clearly winning and this year it’s my turn.