Deck the Halls (and Front Lawns, Steps, Porches, Shrubbery...)

The holiday season brings out the kid in all of us. That or the Grinch secretly residing in our soul. Luckily for me, it's the former.

I get really excited about Christmas--maybe even more so than my kids. After all, I'm the one who suggests we go get our Christmas tree pretty much before we've even digested the Thanksgiving turkey. It's me who blasts the Christmas tunes in the car and sings along at the top of my voice (while my three year old screams "STOP SINGING!" from the back seat). I'm the one who, on or around December 18th, can no longer stand the suspense and sheepishly asks my husband if the kids and I can open just one present.

And oh, how I love the houses all decorated with lights! I even get a kick out of the cheesy blow-ups. Though I refuse to put one of those monstrosities on our own lawn, that doesn't stop me from admiring them on our neighbors' properties.

One of the over-the-top houses in our neighborhood.

We--as in the members of our generation--seem so much more willing to embrace our inner-children than our parents were. I wonder why that is?

When we were little, my brothers and I would beg our parents to drive us around the town next to ours because the people who lived there really went crazy with the decorations. (Here's the formula: Middle-class town=excessive, tacky, wonderful decorations; upper-middle-class town: wreaths and candles in the windows.)

Nothing has really changed--it's still me begging to check out Christmas decorations...except now I end up begging my kids instead of my parents.

The other day, I was driving the kids home after a pediatrician's appointment. It was around 5 p.m. and pitch black already.

"Hey, kids! How about we drive around the neighborhood and look at some decorations?"

"Nah," my son chimes in from the back. "I just want to go home."

"Oh, c'mon, pleeeeeeeease?" I beg.

But guess what? I'm the one in the driver's seat now (literally and figuratively). So there. These days, when I say we're going to drive around and look at the pretty Christmas decorations then WE ARE DRIVING AROUND AND LOOKING AT PRETTY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS, DAMN IT! Whether my kids like it or not. Ha!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Pigs, Cows and Roosters, Oh, My!

Today was Charlotte's 3rd birthday party (though she doesn't actually turn three until Wednesday). I invited  a whole bunch of kids--probably around 10--but only 3 could make it, due almost completely to First Communions. I think I've been in denial that we live in such a Catholic town, but this made me have to face the facts.

The party was at our house; around here, having a birthday at one's house is quite rare. Most people have 'em at a kids' gym, karate studio, or wherever. Call me old-school, but there is something so wonderful about celebrating special occasions in the comfort of one's home. And I think my kids also like being on their own turf: parties can be so overwhelming but when the venue is home, it gives them some comfort.

And it's certainly a lot cheaper. I don't know what the kids' gyms cost in the rest of the county, but here in Westchester, parties run close to $400...which is absolutely insane!

So we had three adorable 3-year-olds at the party, plus one of my 5-year-old son's friends (a girl whom Charlotte happens to love)...and a bunch of parents. And it was really nice.

I made all the food myself, which (it's so funny and strange that this is the case) people are always impressed by. I always get a few, "Oh, wow, you made all this?" Like it's so hard to make chicken salad? I didn't actually have to kill and pluck the chicken, people! It's a little celery, honey-mustard, mayo, spices, etc. Not rocket science.

It helps that I don't work outside the home. I have the time and brain power to devote to planning a three year old's birthday party. If I had a job-job, I'd be booking the kids' gym and ordering pizza, too. Who has the energy to do both?

Of course when I was growing up, everyone had their parties at home, though in my town not many moms worked outside the home back then (in fact, I can't think of one!)  God forbid a mother ordered in the food! Okay, maybe the rich families bought a fancy bakery cake, but for the rest of us, it was mom's best efforts. My mom was pretty good at cake decorating. I remember she'd rummage through our box of Fisher-Price stuff for inspiration. She'd end up decorating our cakes with little people, furniture, vehicles etc., all arranged in a homey scene. Our cakes were tiny, beautiful, suburban dioramas.

Charlotte's party was a barnyard theme (little girl loves her some pigs & cows!), and I had SO MUCH fun decorating the cupcakes! I didn't come up with the idea myself--that's what the Internet is for, am I right?--but I have to brag that at least I am a very good copier. Anyway, here are the cupcakes:

 PIGGIES!

ROOSTERS!

COWS!

They were adorable and delicious!

So overall a success. The rain held off and the kids were able to play outside. No one got (too badly) hurt. No one threw up. The presents were really good...which is pretty much all a 3-year-old (and her mom) can hope for.

Too Much Christmas Spirit?

It seems to me that Gen X is the first generation whose members have never completely grown up. As I drive around local neighborhoods during this holiday season, I'm convinced this is why there are so many more ugly Christmas decorations around than when I was a child. Because when it comes to kids and decorations, the more garish the better. So it follows that adults who are still kids at heart will purchase the biggest, tackiest, over-the-top thing they can afford.

Yes, I'm talking about the huge blow-up Santas, Frosties, and Rudolphs. At night, they glow and sway in the breeze, buzzing with the sound of pressurized air being pumped into them. During the day, they are hideous multi-colored puddles on front lawns.

When I was growing up, decorations mainly consisted of pretend candles in house windows, a wreath on the front door, and maybe some lights--usually tasteful white ones--on a few bushes.

It was nice, classy stuff that made our little New England town look like Santa's Village for a few weeks.  (That's another difference: Decorations used to go up the second week of December, not the day after Thanksgiving.) I used to love sitting in the backseat of our station wagon with my brothers as my parents drove us around to look at all the pretty lights. Nighttime was darker back then and the air stiller, so the twinkling lights seemed extra magical.

But now, there's no lovely feeling of calm when we drive around looking at decorations. It's all, "WOW! Look at that house! OH MY GOSH, look at that one!" My kids particularly love the houses where you can't even see any grass because the entire lawn is covered with deer, presents, candy canes, sleighs, etc...as if the North Pole exploded and random pieces fell from the sky and landed in people's yards.

I'm not bah-humbugging it; the decorations amuse me and my kids' excitement is contagious. But I do miss how it used to be, when tasteful and classic ruled. Because now the feeling is less "O Holy Night" and more "All I Want for Christmas Is You."