Grant was very upfront and direct that he was not really into decorating or arranging outdoor Christmas displays. I've always said that I wanted to decorate the house with lots of lights and be one of the houses where people stop, point and stare. So Christmas 2007 started off with us both having two entirely different ideas of what constitutes "decorating".
Grant agreed to hang some lights along the edge of the roof. I assumed that his hanging lights would be like my making Christmas cookies. Once I get into it, I don't want to stop and I can just bake and bake. So imagine my surprise that after hanging ONE strand of lights, Grant actually thought he was DONE?! I was really fortunate because the local drug store had Christmas lights on sale early enough that I was able to score boxes of lights at a price that even Grant would have to agree was a great deal. Or so I thought.
When Grant realized that the boxes of lights I was showing him that were a such a fabulous deal were expected to be hung on the outside of the house, he got kinda into it.....like into it getting done. I came in to put another batch of cookies into the oven when Grant proudly said "done!"
Problem is, he put a strand of multi colored lights around half of the living room window and around the other half were all blue lights. So I told him that it looked great but that I kinda envisioned the multicolored lights going ALL THE WAY around the window.
See, I think he's starting to get into this?
Grant: "So what are the blue lights for".
Me: "For bushes, trees or empty spaces" (we only have two little trees).
So Grant took down the blue lights and strung another multicolored strand around the rest of the window, and from the kitchen I heard "Done".
Me: [yelling from the kitchen] "There is another window visible from the front that needs to be outlined in lights".
Grant: [mumbling in the front yard] "$#%^##%^!" (or something like that)
Grant then got into "blue light hanging mode" putting them into the little trees that we had just planted the month before. Only the cord didn't reach long enough so he had to run to the store for an extension cord. (I think I heard more mumbling, but I can't be sure)
Coming back from the store and plugging the lights into the extension cord he fired them up. "HOUSTON, We have a Problem". Apparently we had a bulb burn out which makes one entire line of lights got out. I really didn't see it a problem and thought Grant could be reassured because I bought EXTRAS!!! 8-)
So, Grant took down the broken lights, hung a new strand, had the trees lit up and called the girls and I out to admire his work.
Janeva: "Um, what are you going to do around the garage door?"
Me: "OH...I have some more lights that can go around the garage door!"
Have you noticed that even in the picture, you can just see in his face exactly what he is about to say?
Jillian: "That's a great start, but a lot of the neighbors have lighted figures in their yards and we probably need one too"
Grant: "Holy $#%^, what am I $#%^*& (insert just about anything here)"
Janeva: "Hey Jillian hear how Grant's accent gets thicker the more frustrated he gets?"
Thinking fast, I gave Janeva some home baked cookies still warm from the oven. Handed Grant a beer and Jillian and I quickly exited left.
Then I noticed......a car slowly driving by.......the people were stopping, pointing and staring. I was THRILLED.....then I realized it was because Grant ran out of the house in his Christmas boxers to lock up the car.
The next evening, the girls and I had some shopping to do and we all three screamed in the car as we turned the corner. Right there in our yard, standing there waiting for us.....was a LIGHTED Reindeer whose head turns from side to side when the lights are on. No one else's deer MOVES!!!! OMG, how cool!!
We came running into the house to thank Grant and find out if he was really getting into this decorating stuff.
Grant said (smiling) "I am now, the lady down the street dragged her husband up to the front of our house to look at the lights and as they were walking away I could hear her telling him how she was going to the store to buy some lights that she saw on sale."
Two days after Christmas, Grant had some errands to run and he came back with three bags full of boxes of lights......and one lighted Penguin figure whose wings go up and down when the lights are on. WHO'S INTO DECORATING NOW??!
Next Year's Plan!
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