Traditions...

The holiday season officially kicked off today, as we dragged the ornaments, pre-lit artificial Christmas tree and various decorations out of the old attic. Other annual traditions didn't disappoint me today. They include various members of the family, including...

• Husband, who accuses me of intentionally maiming ugly ornaments that originated at Hallmark long ago. (Who could forget last year, when some skanky Santa ornament mistakenly fell off the table and lost an arm? That was big trouble for me. Guess my laughter didn't help.)
  
• Dog, who dances around said clutter, with plush toy in mouth, somehow loving the sound of crinkling packages, fake Fraser fur needles being arranged, and random things dropping. (I swear, it was an accident!!)
  
• Child, who walks in from outside play, claiming upset that we've started without him, and follows with a quick exit back outside to be with friends.

We did find a few surprises this year. For one, we discovered that our Christmas candles might not like it in the super hot attic. They took out their disgust by melting into favorite stockings and holiday table decor. Interesting creations...

Secondly, a delicate felt Santa suffered a gruesome accident while hanging in the attic during the year, loosing a leg. Husband, upon discovering it already hung on the tree, ripped the other leg off and replaced him on the branch. Hmmm, guess he's at least symmetrical now. Traditions...