Ho ho ho...

As is tradition, as soon as the turkey is put into the fridge, the Christmas decorations must come out. I'm a big fan, though, of removing all of the fall decor before bringing out the jolly. The mixed messages of my neighbors this week have been confusing at best....four large pumpkins on the porch, a harvest mailbox jacket...and poinsettias, candy canes and Christmas lights.

I shook it off and plowed through my own boxes of joy. It took most of a day, all told, to get the big stuff up and running, primarily because I spent hours smacking small hands and uttering statements resembling the following:

1. "Put Baby Jesus down! He is not a toy!"

2. "Balls are for hanging, not throwing! Hang it! Hang it!"

3. "Pigpen, you can't put all the ornaments on the same branch. Stop moving the ones I already hung. Get off the ladder. "

4. "Stop touching Baby Jesus!"

5. "No, God isn't in the nativity scene. No, that's a wise man. No, that's a sheep. Where's God?" Sigh.

6. "GUS! What's in that stocking? What's he eating?!  Get his head out, he's stuck. Ohhhh, gross. Last year's Reeses."

7. "No, God and Santa are not the same. Why? Because. They aren't."

8. "WHO TOOK BABY JESUS? Put him back RIGHT NOW!"

9. "Stockings aren't really socks. No, really they're not. Get them off your feet. Now."

10. "No, Christmas isn't tomorrow. It's a whole month away. A whole month of this fun."