Enlightened

I've been on a bit of a blogcation, but am back with (what I think are) great ideas for holiday shopping, decorating, organizing and, most important, saving money so you can do it all over year after year! While I've always loved the holidays, when my career started in Television as an assistant to a celebrity sixteen years ago, I quickly began to despise it. The search for a perfect holiday card, shot by the best photographer, directed and produced to the point of bringing all on set to tears began in early September. While I am the first to admit that I start fantasizing about my Christmas tree in late August, searching for red "sparkly" eye-lashes for a third-rate diva was never high on my list. But, it was my job, so I had to shut up and just do it. Probably my least favorite moment was my first holiday with said-diva, where I stood on a ladder on December 22nd decorating the tree in her living room while her kids played video games on a different floor (far from the servants like me), her pre-teen daughter screamed at the top of her lungs about refusing to fly coach to see Grandma and Mr. Third Husband, referring to me as "hey you" asked when I'd be finished so he could "chill out" in his living room alone. For a nano-second I felt sorry for the diva, until she walked in the room and told me I'd missed a large, gaping hole on one side of the tree. In that moment, as the distant howls of carolers could be heard streaming out of a happier neighbors home, I decided to switch the course of my future. The following year I hired a tree decorating service at a rate so astonishing you'd slap yourself and throw your TV out the window (in 1995 I believe the rate to decorate a divas home was $8,000 for one fake tree and a few swags of fake garland). I did this, not because I don't like to decorate, but because I never wanted the energy in that house to change the way I felt about my own traditions. Last week, for example, I sat in my parents warm living room in Southern California surrounded by family and one incredibly excited niece. Her enthusiasm for everything holiday is what reignites the spirit in me. So, after we cleared the turkey off the table, we turned on our favorite holiday tunes and began to trim our tree. One little trick I shared with her (and a little something to excite the kids), is to decorate with the tree lights OFF. That way, any "giant gaping holes" can be easily spotted where bright lights tend to mask the spaces. While I don't have kids of my own, I took great pleasure in watching my niece, Devin, carefully place ornaments one at a time then step back, light the tree and flash a smile brighter than any star I've ever seen. That, in my humble opinion, is what this time of year is all about.
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: One hour to decorate tree with LIGHTS OFF
COST: Priceless
STRESS LEVEL: when done your way because you love doing it, LOW