Deck the Halls!

I hadn't planned to decorate the boys' rooms for Christmas. Then, I saw these "Be Merry" banners for $6.99 on the Jane app (that thing SO has my number), and Mom offered to buy the boys their own trees, and I was, like, "Well, why the heck not?"

Yesterday, spontaneously, became the day - mostly because I needed an activity to distract me from the massive pile of disgusting dishes left in the kitchen from the nite before (they have since been done, Mom. Nervous energy before the UK/Duke game took care of them). While the boys played (surprisingly nicely) in the playroom, I went to work. Just before bedtime, we had the big reveal.

As expected, Jones was beside himself. Freddie was happy, but Jones, whose love for holiday decor can only be compared to Kevin McAllister's, ran around the house for a full twenty minutes he was so full of Christmas cheer.

So now, I am, too.

For a treat, I let the boys go to bed with their lights on and turned them off when I went to bed. When his daddy got him out of bed this morning, Jones said, "Look, Daddy! It's amazing."

"Where Are You, Christmas?" Christmas is here on Haywood Drive.

(SIDE NOTE: I want to remember this in years to come, too, because I'm sure I'll need the same reminder over and over again. On the video below, you'll hear some of Keith & Kristyn Getty's Christmas music. I was listening to it as I decorated. It was incredibly heartening - in light of Saturday's terrorist attacks in Paris - to sing and saturate my mind with the truth that - "once a Babe in Bethlehem" is "now the LORD OF HISTORY!" Tears fell, as I thanked God that, no matter how out of control things seem, He is in control.)

This is when he got down like I'd been down taking pictures.
He said, "Look at Jojo! Say, '-abooshka!'" which is what I
say to make them smile. It usually doesn't work, by the way.

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UPDATE (one hour after original post): Well, that didn't last very long.  As soon as I finished posting this, I told the boys to come with me to get ready to head to the gym. Jones played with Freddie's tree, while I dressed Freddie. When it was Jones's turn to get ready, I said, "Come on." He said, "No." I said, "Jones, what happens when you disobey Mama?" "No." So I took him to his room to deal with his disobedience. When it didn't work - like had ZERO impact on him - I told him I would take his Christmas decorations out of his room if he didn't obey. "No," he said, so out went the snowmen. I came back in, and he was STILL refusing to obey - ALL I'D SAID TO DO WAS TO GET HIS CLOTHES ON - so I took the snowflakes from his wall. 

He still refused. 

At this point, I was, like, "Dangit. What am I gonna do now? The tree is all that's left, and it's all connected to the wall," but you gotta do what you gotta do, so I did it - I took the lights off the tree and carried it into my room. When he still refused to obey, out went the window treatment; it was easier to take it all than to untangle the lights. It was like playing strip poker with a strong-willed child. 

He then remained on his bed, unwilling to obey, for another 25 minutes - in spite of my periodic visits to see if he would. 

So for now, the Winter Wonderland is laying, in pieces, around our house. They're staying there for at least a day, so that he can take his nap and go to bed and, as he does, see the glaring holes on his wall and know that there are consequences for disobedience. 

It may not have any impact on him, but at least, it makes me feel better.

And we didn't make it to the gym.

AARRRGGGHHH.

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UPDATE (one day after original post): Removing the Christmas decor seemed to have absolutely NO impact on Jones. He DID say the tree was in my room. When I asked why, he said, "I disobey," so he's getting that, but for as much as he loves his tree, he doesn't seem to be bothered one bit by its removal. So much for "creative correction."