The holidays are here and we just got our Christmas tree up. It actually went really well. We went to pick it out and it had just rained so the tree farm was literally underwater. The type of trees I like best were impossible to get near, so we had to look at different types of trees. I'm fairly OCD about the Christmas tree, but was so proud of myself for letting it all go this year. My daughter picked the tree, not my favorite, but who cares. She was thrilled. We got home and after getting it in the stand, it was time for lights. Again, I'm weird about the lights. It takes me like 4 hours and 50 strands and I wrap every single branch from the tip all the way in to the trunk. But my daughter decided to do the lights! I had a momentary internal stab of fear and a strange flash of stress about the potential outcome, then realized I'm insane, and told her to go for it. And she did an amazing job! She only needed a little help at the top. It was a very good lesson in not sweating the small stuff, focusing on what's really important, letting it go, blah, blah, blah.
SO, it comes time to put the ornaments on. We unpacked the boxes of ornaments and started putting them on the tree. But we were delayed because we couldn't find the ornament hooks. Eventually we found them and pulled them out and they were the way they are every year, a giant tangled ball. So I stood there untangling them, dropping the occasional ornament into the carpet where it instantly becomes invisible only to be chewed up by the vacuum eventually or stepped on painfully. And I began to wonder, does everyone do this every year with the ornament hooks? Am I doing something wrong? Is there another magic trick to putting the ornament hooks away that stops them from getting tangled? Or, and I never considered this before now, do people throw them away and buy new ones every year? Seems like a waste. So, if there is something I'm missing, please tell me. Who knows, I may just come up with the first tangle free ornament hanging device! Or not. I think I kind of actually like standing there and untangling them each year. I'm weird like that.
I absolutely HATE ornament hooks! I despise how they feel in my hand and on my fingers. There is no way I ever enjoyed untangling them, but I hated the waste too. I dislike how they can come off the ornaments easily. So two years ago I got rid of all the hooks and I tied a permanent string to each of my ornaments that would usually need a hook. This is my testimony about hooks, not positive but it's how I feel.
ReplyDeleteYou're funny. I never considered that people might not like ornament hooks because of the way they feel. Interesting. Yes, some of our ornaments have a string attached, but I like to hang some ornaments inside closer to the trunk and I need hooks for that. I still think I'm going to come up with the perfect invention!
DeleteI hate the way ornament hooks feel too! There's something strange about the type of metal they use to make them. I leave the hooks on each of the ornaments when I put them away. I've closed the holes on each of the hooks at the ornament and they typically do not come undone.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see what you come up with as a better way!
I can't believe it, another person that hates the way ornament hooks feel. Who knew! Yes, I am going to invent great things, just don't ask me when. :)
DeleteOk, I hate using old paper clips and traditional tacky ornament hangers. So after Christmas a few years ago, I hit up a high end dept store and got decorative gorgeous hangers in both gold and silver on a massive sale. I love them, they are almost ornaments themselves. And, I don't mind untangling them as they are so pretty. Maybe I'm an ornament hanger snob. I'm okay with that.
ReplyDeleteAbout the tree, and you being OCD about it and lights. The only year in my life I have thrown out a tree with 45 strands of lights still attached, was the year you put the lights on my tree. I tried for 3 hours to undo them. Not worth it, at all. I am patient, and I was cursing your name.
But damn it looked good!
I did do a good job on your tree, didn't I? And now it's funny that you had to throw it out. I'm sure there were bad words at the time. At least someone can testify to my OCD with Christmas tree lights.
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