8lbs and 15 ounces of Christmas light motivation...

Today is Christmas light hanging day. Not my favourite thing to do. Last year I didn't put them up and thought the family was all in agreement and then months later they were calling me "Grinch" because I didn't put them up last year. I told them I was surprised, "I thought you guys didn't care about hot having the lights up last year". In unison they all said "NO, we wanted lights".

I thought they didn't want lights because I had the last set of lights up for two or three years straight and they finally told me to take them down two summers ago. Apparently it's not a good look to have lights up all year round. That's the difference between and man and a women. We are efficient. Why do something more than you have to when you can do it once. I did use clear bulbs and they kinda blended into the house, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

I took the lights down the July before last. Obviously I misinterpreted their request because they did say they "would rather have no lights than have them up all year round"!!! To me that says, "I guess no lights is okay". Man, I wish they would not send mixed signals. I'm surprised they haven't learnt that men aren't good at subtle messages, you need to be clear, direct and repeat.

I remember exactly 13 years ago being "hounded" by Alice to put up Christmas lights on our old house in Winnipeg. I procrastinated and procrastinated and then sure enough the cold weather and snow came. I should have done it in October when everyone else was doing it and the weather was better.

For some reason I just lacked motivation that year. Alice kept asking me over and over "when are you going to put up the Christmas lights, when are you going to put up the Christmas lights". It was important to her, looking back, I guess it was because Alyssa was six and it's the right thing to do for a little girl at Christmas.

It was November 15th, the lights weren't up yet and Alice was at the hospital giving birth to Reid. It was a weekend and one of the worst days of the month. I just googled the Farmer's Almanac and for that day and it was -6 C, with a 30 kph wind, gusting up to 56 kph and 11 cm of snow. With windchill it was -14 C to -17. It was cold and miserable. It was so bad, the baby photographer at the hospital didn't come in that day because it was a mini blizzard.

In earlier blog entries I've talked about how I wasn't good in the birthing room. I was queasy, my legs felt like "pins and needless" and I almost passed out. The doctors and nurses were quite concerned about me and made me put my head between my knees and take deep breaths as they got me some juice.

I remember sitting at the head of the bed, there was no way I was going to look down below, and watching Alice give birth. She's a tough farmers daughter, and with no epidural was just given'r. I could see the pain and determination she had. At that moment, I remember looking at her and thinking "if she could do this and go through all this pain, the least I could do is put up the Christmas lights".

So I went home and in the cold and wind I went outside and put the Christmas lights up and it wasn't easy. Our house was a bungalow that was over 60 feet long and with all the peaks and juts it must have been close to 90 feet of lighting. Plus it was a raised bungalow and the roof was pretty high off the ground to begin with.

There I was, on a ladder, placed in a piles of snow, with winds gusting at up to 50 kph, snow blowing around me, my fingers exposed because I couldn't put the hooks on the evestrough wearing gloves, no one holding the ladder and I was freezing. As I was doing it, I was repeating a mantra "if Alice could go through that pain I could do this, if Alice could go through that pain I could do this". It was my way of being loving and supportive.

It took at least a couple of hours and I had some very close calls on that ladder, I only damaged about two feet of the evestrough when the ladder squished it and my fingers were painfully frozen. But I did it. I stood back from house on the street and as the wind was blowing and I had my hands on my ears, I admired my work. At that moment, I said never again. From now on, if I have to put up Christmas lights, I'm going to do it on a nicer day. It was a painful lesson.

The upside was that Alice really appreciated it. As we drove into the driveway and all the lights were on it she had a big smile on her face. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't because of the lights, maybe it was because she knew I too cared and suffered.

So today it's going to be 10 C, I have no training and my plan is to put the Christmas lights up. Johan Stemmet sent me a comment on twitter asking why I would do it so early. He does it on December 1st in South Africa. Now he knows.

Big night tonight. It's my Birthday and Post Clearwater Party. Should be fun. Looks like it's going to be a full house. I'm even having some twitter and blogging buddy's who live nearby coming over and I've never even met them face to face.

My daughter Alyssa keeps telling me I'm crazy, "how do you know these guys are not serial killers". I say, not to worry, John Barclay will be there and he's a Cop and has had experience with serial killers and know's how to handle them.

Off season

Easy Bike - 1:06:01 / 30.58 km / 27.8 kph

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