Before you get married it is important that you and your future spouse discuss important questions like:
“Do you both want kids?”
“Where do you want to live?”
“Who gets to hold the remote control?”
Heather and I spent a lot of time pouring over these often divisive issues, and decided that we were compatible for the long haul. There was, however, one question we didn’t discuss and probably should have:
“How enthusiastic are you about the holiday season?”
Heather has always loved Christmas, but this year, in our own home, she has revealed herself to be a full-on Christmas/Holiday season fanatic. Just how much of one? I can only describe it using an Aristotelian analogy:
“TEENAGE GIRL : JUSTIN BEIBER :: HEATHER : CHRISTMAS”
Yesterday, for example, Heather put some Christmas tunes on as we relaxed in our living room. After about an hour I stood up and said, “Well, that Christmas music was fun.” Heather looked at me like I’d just sunk her battleship. “You want to stop listening already? But there’s still a hundred and eight songs left in my Christmas Mega Mix that we haven’t heard yet!”
A few weeks before that Heather took me to a crafts store to check out Christmas stuff for our home. I expecting to look at, say, an ornament or small wreath, but instead she lead me up to a display holding a penguin and snowman – both of which were human sized and lit up with tons of lights and glitter.
“So,” Heather asked, breathless with excitement. “Which one do you want?”
“Uh…”
“The snowman is more traditional, but the penguin is a lot of fun too! So which one do you want?”
“Uh…”
“Go on! Pick!”
“The, uh, snowman?”
“Okay. Great choice. But will it go with our lights?”
“What kind of lights do we have?”
“Well that depends…”
Heather pushed me down an aisle toward a huge selection of lights – white ones, multi-colored ones, bulb shaped ones, ones made to look like icicles, and so on. Heather was practically jumping up and down.
“Which ones, Mike? Which ones?”
“Uh….”
After that trip to the craft store we made a pact. Heather could do whatever she wanted to decorate our house as long as I promised to be okay with whatever that was.
It wasn’t long until our home was transformed. There was an elf on the shelf, a big Christmas tree and a couple little ones, festive bows on our kitchen cabinets, garland over our fireplace, a reindeer counting down the days until Christmas, and much, much more.
I felt like I’d stumbled into Mrs. Claus’ home.
Truth be told though, while I don’t have enough interest in the holiday season to put this stuff up myself, it is nice to have our home decked out – especially with Annie soon to be dreaming of sugar plums and all that good stuff in the years to come.
Last night, as we listened to song number 117 on Heather’s mega-mix, I got so caught up in the holiday spirit that I was moved to make a Christmas season suggestion of my own!
“You know what would make this moment even more festive?” I offered. “If we were sipping a glass of eggnog.”
“Eggnog?!” Heather croaked as she made a retching sound. “That stuff is rank!”
Oh well. At least I tried.
Molly says:
Ha! I loved this post, Mike.
My husband stood with me for ahem over six hours last night to watch the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree… which took all of one minute.
Good husbands, both you and him.
Meg...CT says:
so hilarious!
Jenn says:
Yet another reason why I adore this family so much!!! xoxo
Heather says:
So, are you saying that if she had disclosed this information pre-marriage… you might not have considered her as a spouse?
Slippery slope Mr. Spohr… slippery, slippery slope.
:o)
Prudie says:
Have her try the eggnog in her coffee. Mmmmmm! I hate the stuff personally but in coffee, so delicious!
Melli says:
My husband is the spirit of Xmas. He even decorates the bathroom. We bought a house but the closing has been delayed. He is so disappointed he doesn’t get to have this Xmas in our house…plus since our apartment is filled with boxes, he can’t decorate here either. He is so bummed. I’m sure he’ll make it up next year when he’s twice as festive.
Rebecca says:
Now that’s the kind of snow that I like. The fake snowman that is light up in bright shiny, twinkly lights. We had flurries the other day. I hate snow.
Megan says:
I’m more with you, Mike, and I love, love, love eggnog. I live by myself, and I like Christmas decorations but don’t have the patience or skill to deck the halls. So I do a tree, put out one or two plastic knickknacks, and call it a day.
Skye says:
What? I LOVE eggnog! I wait all year for it to come out, along with eggnog lattes! I also love decorating but perhaps less than Heather seems to… although I’m feeling way more into it this year for some reason!
Trisha says:
I cannot drink eggnog. I like the concept of it though and when I married my husband I was introduced to a Latin version called Coquito at our first Christmas at his mom’s house. It is delish. I can drink it all day long, well until I can’t stand up from the rum anyways and then I back off! Check it out:
http://latinfood.about.com/od/beverages/r/coquito.htm
Kristin says:
I agree. These things must be discussed. I am like Heather, and very excited about the holiday season, while my husband asks “Why must we have a Christmas tree in every room?”. SILLY question! I love everything about Christmas and all the holidays in December – minus the eggnog, blah. My husband is really so-so about it all. His parents never made a big deal about ANY holiday so he grew up being so blah-zay about everything. I think he’s coming around though, he did listen to Christmas carols in the car one evening for a full 5 minutes and he hung up lights in the kids rooms and outside. yay!
Marin D says:
My husband doesn’t care what I do to the house really as long as he has minimal involvement. But he is a good sport when I ask him to lend me a hand. After I got done in one of the living spaces he commented on the “winter wonderland” I created. I thought he was being his usual snarky, sarcastic self but apparently he really did enjoy the decor. I guess he does like having it decked out. And man I have a lot of crap. I wonder if it is overdone but who cares? It’s my house and the only thing I get to look forward to this Christmas.
Pat says:
Oooohhh! Bows on the cupboards! Great idea! Thanks, Heather! Mike, next time peppermint hot chocolate or hot cider might go over better than the eggnog idea.
Tara says:
Oh my, you described my husband and I exactly! You are not alone. Seriously, right down to the eggnog dude (which my husband adores and I hate).
Andrea says:
my husband and I met right ebfore Christmas and I had my apartment fully decorated and he was ok with it. Fast forward a year and we were in a HOUSE and my true Christmas Crazy came out! Thankfully he had survived the Halloween madness already or that may have been a deal breaker. There is of course the issue we had that year with the tree I picked out… I was pretty sure I was going to have to write a letter of apology to Rockefeller Center for taking their tree but I made it work in a 300 sq ft family room….
Steph says:
Mike, if you want eggnog then have some;)
Anna says:
Heather is just wrong. Eggnog is delicious!
Lanie says:
It was a good try – I am sure she appreciated your effort (even if she hates eggnog). Take care. (p.s. I like the snowman :-)).