Miracle on 157th Street

December 2005 - the year soon to be known as the first Christmas in our new home. We are really so excited about this Christmas because it is the first time in a very looooong time that we can have guests without having to strategically place every foot, hair, bedroll and, more importantly, bathroom breaks.

There are things you don't find out about your new home until a certain season appears. Then many things become apparent - like how cold your basement really can get in the winter, how warm your upstairs will get in the summer if you don't turn on the ac, how poorly insulated your front door is at -3º, and how excited your neighbors get over a holiday.

It’s the latter that is the most worrisome for me.

Starting on the weekend of Thanksgiving, we watched in awe as three workmen began work on the Christmas decorations for that house. First they covered the street lamp with red paper and wrapped a set of runner lights down the pole. Then lights were wound around the trees, pre-made decorations started appearing on the lawn, in the windows, over the garage. Each day we could see some addition to the lawn.

Much to our dismay, as the days passed on, the men moved on to the house beside said house. A train base was built around a tree. More lights appeared in the tree. The house became a tangle of wires, lights, decorations and all things bright.

Even more to our dismay, we noticed them working on a huge nativity light display on the house across the street.

Much to our horror, they moved on to the house next to ours. It was like a fungus that was spreading to all areas nailed down. This was not looking good, literally and figuratively. Literally because there were wires everywhere.

Figuratively because would we be next? Would they take over our undecorated house to put us in the Christmas spirit? Would we have to pay for all that electricity? Would everyone soon be staring in dismay at our place too?

Okay, it’s not that they don’t do that already since we have two very active kids, but hey, we invite the stares at that time. It comes with the territory of having kids.

But this? This was entirely different.

I ran outside and threw a wreath up above our door… Literally. I don’t have a ladder yet. Fortunately the previous owners had a nail up there from previous years.

They finally finished up on the house next to us and left. Whew…

Maybe because we were new, they wanted to give us a year to break us in.

Fine with me. It gives me a year to figure out how to tell them no.

Okay I have to admit that although it looks like a big mess during the day, it is very entertaining at night. They even have choreographed music playing with it.

The traffic in front of our normally non-busy street is starting to get congested around 7 to 8 in the evening. If this keeps up, maybe I can start a toll road. Hey, I could make a little money to pay for Christmas gifts.

Now there’s an idea!