Tuesday, January 06, 2009

A Bookaholic Puts Christmas in Storage for Another Year

There's always something sad and dreary about taking down our Christmas decorations inside the house. For a month, our home is a magical place. A little neighbor boy takes proprietary pride in our decorations: he always rings the doorbell if there's anything even the slightest bit out of place outside. The expression on his face as he looks through the picture window at all the Christmas trees is something that would melt even the toughest Scrooge's heart. He truly believes our house is fairy land.

Last night Denis and I decided that today was the day that everything would come down. Neither one of us really wanted to do it. Denis got going before I did, and he had everything outside taken down and boxed up in a flash. He'd brought in all our storage boxes, and I finally stopped dragging my feet. All the boxes are labeled, and I began the dismantling and packing process methodically.

Trouble is, I had another reason why I didn't want to pack up the decorations. You see, I'm a bookaholic (surprised, aren't you?), and I'm right in the middle of a mystery that many fellow crime fiends had listed as one of their Top Ten Favorites for 2008: Jo Nesbo's The Redbreast. There's nothing like opening a wreath box labeled "Cardinal Wreath" and trying to keep focused on the wreath when your mind is in Oslo, Norway, hoping that one of the characters isn't going to bite the dust the way you think they are. Or taking the bird ornaments out of the tree and instead of thinking, "Robin", "Oriole", "Bluebird", you're going through a list of old codgers trying to pick the Bad Guy.

Well, at least it kept me from being down in the mouth about packing away the decorations. Oh! Pardon me, I have a book waiting....




4 comments:

  1. I am by no means at all a Christmas Hater and enjoy celebrating and decorating. But my stuff is taken down on the 31st. at the latest, and with a relief at that. I love Christmas, but I also love when I can say "phew, now there is a year until I have to do it again".

    Jo Nesbø is very popular in Denmark (as are loads of Scandinavian mysteries) but I haven't gotten around to any of his works yet. Will have to do that this year. His books are easily obtained at any library here in Copenhagen, so there is no excuse :o)

    Have a great day.

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  2. You are so funny! I don't like have a good book interrupted either, but when Christmas is over, it's over and I'm ready to get the house back to normal.

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  3. I love that a little neighbor boy takes it upon himself to help you out if something is amiss with your Christmas decorations! That is so sweet -- and it must make all the work of decorating so worthwhile! What a great story!

    And I know what you mean when you are in the middle of a good book and everything seems to bring it to mind and you just itch to get back to it ... that is best type of feeling!

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  4. I like taking it down because I feel that much closer to spring.

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