Making OCD Work for You

I really love it when my home is decorated for Christmas. There's something about the twinkling lights, the cozy fire in the fireplace, the Christmas music playing ...

My only problem is the stuff that comes before that. You know--the dragging the totes and boxes out of the basement and sorting through everything part.

The decorating part.

I don't really have a knack for decorating. I mean, sure I can look up how to do stuff and I can copy ideas that I've seen ... with minimal success.

I think decorating is too much like crafting. No matter what picture I have in my head, the end results look like a fifth grader did it.

No offense to fifth graders intended.

Because I dread doing the decorating, I was thrilled when Nick and Luke agreed to help. Of course
they had to get in the Christmas spirit first by watching Elf, a movie I absolutely hate. (Will Ferrell in yellow tights. Need I say more?), but hey, if it got them in enough of a Christmas spirit to help, then I'm all for it!

After the movie was over, the boys started sorting the branches for the Christmas tree. Someone gave us this tree, and this is the first year we've used it. I was busy setting out decorations elsewhere in the house, and I was pleasantly surprised when I came back to find the boys accurately and enthusiastically "fluffing" the branches. Luke, who tends to be OCD about things, was paying particular attention to detail. The next morning our tree was completely put together and I've never seen a fuller one. Or a taller one in our living room.

Sunday night I decided to try and put on the lights. I know lights should be woven in and out of the branches so the cords don't show, but I couldn't reach the top part of this tree even when standing on a chair. And the tree was so full, I couldn't get the cords tucked in well at all. When Luke came up and commented on my efforts, I told him he could do it himself if he wanted to. To my surprise, he did want to. He undid the little bit I'd managed to do and restrung it himself. As you can see, the height of the tree was not a problem for him.

You've got to be careful with that OCD stuff, though. Today I noticed that a swath of lights in the middle of the tree had stopped working. I told Luke I'd buy another set of lights if he'd fix it. My thought was to string the new lights through the middle of the tree and bypass the old strand that wasn't working. Instead, Luke undid all the lights, found where the problem was and fixed it, and then restrung them.

My way was easier. Just sayin'.

At any rate, now we have a beautiful lit tree that I need to finish decorating. I have ribbon to weave through and ornaments to put on ... or maybe I'll just wait until Luke comes home from work tomorrow. I'm sure he'd help. Right after he finishes his plan for outlining the dormer windows in red lights and the garage in blue ones.

So who does the decorating at your house? And how OCD are you?