The Christmas tree my husband purchased in Detriot ten years ago has been dismembered. Its branches lie in bunches, segregated according to size. Tomorrow, I will drag out the large box, pack it away and send it off to the church, where I hear the youth pastor will appreciate having a seven and a half foot tall fake tree for the youth room. And I say, “Good riddance.” Good riddance to festivity, good riddance to the rumpled tree skirt the cats frolic underneath, good riddance to Christmas Past. I’m sick of it.
My daughter came in as I was yanking off the top branches of the tree and said, “Mom, what are you doing to the tree?” with dismay just like Cindy Lou Who when she caught the the Grinch stuffing the Christmas tree up the chimney. I said, “Christmas is over. We have to put all this away. If it were Christmas all the time, we’d never get to swim in the pool, you know.”
Indeed. If it were always Christmas, when would we celebrate the Fourth of July? If it were always Valentine’s Day, when would we go trick-or-treating? If it were always the beginning, when would we ever reach the end?
In other news, I ate a whole sleeve of Ritz crackers tonight. Don’t tell my other blog. Don’t even ask. I have no idea what came over me.
Actual Unretouched Photo 
Well….I won’t tell your other blog…altho you DO know I must check it out now!! And…a whole sleeve of Ritz?? Girl, you’re still an amateur!! I just finished a box Goldfish – the whole thing! Monday morning, all the junk food AND the Christmas tree ( it’s a real one ) are all going into the trash!
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Christmas tree dismantling is the order of my weekend. We have a real tree, the cats couldn’t seem to climb those as well as the artificial we once had.
I hear you on the Ritz. Me? I’ve been on track for several days now that the Walker shortbread cookies are out of the house! I *LOVE* those.
Good luck, Mel! 🙂
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I’m sneaking my decorations down a little at a time!
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Awhile back, I did the “Ritz Cracker” binge thing…only with 12 Oreos. One after another, without blinking or thinking. Thankfully, I was sick to my stomach for hours afterwards. I have not craved an Oreo since. Thats one down.
This strategy has not yet been effective with sudden urges to consume french onion dip and Lay’s potato chips, chocolate chip cookies or yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
I would like to crave water, carrots and multi-vitamins….
And I would like to crave the urge to take my decorations down. So far, zip.
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You have so many stresses swirling around in your head that your spirit, resolve, self-confidence and psyche are in pain. That’s why a sleeve of Ritz, like any drug, seemed like a good idea at the time. Just look at how you described taking down the tree – with enough passive-aggression to disturb your daughter. Maybe it’s time to let go of something? Maybe it’s time to delegate something, or ask for help, or bring those twins into the conspiracy of “keeping house” so it doesn’t seem so alien to them…or maybe it’s just time to soak in a hot bath with some Calgon. Just do it. Don’t argue – go!
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I have three letters for you.
P.
M.
S.
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