Herban Sprawl

It’s getting to be that time of year when my thoughts run to the excitement of the holidays. I used to dread them, but with age came the idea of making peace with them. The other thing that happened was the addition of Clarice to the decorating escapades. Clarice became the light-meister, freeing the reluctant Big Kitty – the consummate commercial electrician – from a task that was on his Despised Male Spouse Jobs List.

The year of the flamingo tree is one that went on the books. I got a short white, prelit tree at Wally, and it became the tree for all the flamingo Christmas ornaments. Last year’s improvements included a topper created from a pair of pink pens that were topped with feathered friends, and a lot of pink boa for the garland. It was glorious, to say the least, and caused everyone from the House Goddess (Girl, you got enough mingos?) to the Reno Guys (Stella, this is fab!) to chortle with delight.

Then I got a great idea for the flamingo room (aka the guest bathroom) – I put up a swag on which I hung pink bathroom items. It was cute, but it needed work. I have plans…

And that’s how it happens around here. A tweak here, a tweak there…

The one thing that has both Big Kitty and me in a quizzical state of mind has to do with a valued family member. He did something that required some discussion with us beforehand, and when we found out, we were mystified as to why he felt it necessary to hide it from us. We talked it over and decided to ask what gave. He was evasive. I’m not sure how other people view evasive answers, but I see them as partial truths. Mostly, in my experience, people are evasive if they have something to hide or if they just aren’t sure how to answer the question. And the latter is generally the case when they anticipate a response that might be painful for them.

We’re pretty reasonable. We just want to know why it had to be a secret from us. And we do want to talk about it until everything is clear. We don’t happen to like it when there are misunderstandings because people won’t communicate. Shutting one’s self away without even responding to a request for talking it out is a sign that there is something terribly amiss in that person’s mind. Nobody wants those kinds of feelings to exist because they tend to fester and explode, causing even more pain. Who needs that?

So we’re wondering if the holiday will seem empty because this person chooses to stay away, rather than clear the air. It won’t be nearly as much fun to come up with decorating surprises without the hilarity provided by all of one’s near and dears. And when we gather around the table, it’ll feel funny without that single individual who always adds so much to everything we do together.