It begins

I know everyone is sick and tired of Christmas right now. Yule 2010 is barely cooling in the fireplace. After Christmas sales are in full swing with broken, worn out and tired decorations at 50% off. Valentines is starting to show up on the shelves and folks are making plans for New Year's eve.
But I am starting to plan for Christmas 2011 and feeling a little behind already.
You see - my side of the family gets together every other year in a kind of semi annual reunion/Christmas celebration. The 4 sisters rotate turns hosting the event and 2011 is my turn.
Shouldn't be a big deal - I hosted it 8 years ago and had no problems. The house was relatively new and hadn't had a chance to get too worn down yet.....
But now 8 years have passed, and I have to show some progress.
In the past 8 years I have had 4 sons grow up and leave the house, one got married and has produced 3 grandkids. I have a daughter who is now in college (living at home) and I've finished my masters in educational administration. I've been busy, just not doing too much on the house.
On top of that, I'm a horder. There, I said it. I admit it. I have a problem with hording. Not a level 5 or anything, more like a level 2 or 3 horder. I am the black sheep of the family when it comes to keeping things neat and clean.
Being an elementary school teacher doesn't help things. Hording and scavaging is a time honored skill for teachers. That old shower curtain becomes an art project drop cloth. The jello cups cleaned out become water cups for painting. Don't even get me started on egg cartons and strawberry baskets. I have boxes of materials in the garage for grade levels I have taught previously, but don't dare get rid of cause who knows if I will get reassigned to that grade again.
So in 8 years time..... well, you get the picture.
I have made some progress on the house. I did get the living room, family room area painted and I made new curtains for each. But I haven't started painting the kitchen yet - which is attached to the family room, so the effect is an unfinished look.
It took me 3 years to get the hallway painted, cause I changed my mind on colors halfway through the job. But it got done this last Thanksgiving. I have created a guest room out of one of the boys' rooms and a craft room out of the other - so they only need some minor touching up. Ronni's room was painted and organizers put in -- so it is well on it's way.
But the Master Suite and bathrooms haven't been touched and are collecting junk. The back yard needs some serious work and the front yard can stand a curb appeal make over.
Don't even ask about the garage. I filled a dumpster and hauled 2 truckloads of junk to the thrift store, but you can't tell by looking. Fortunately, for Christmas I think I can just lock the garage so no one goes in there.
But it is family, you say. They love you and don't care what your house looks like. They just want to enjoy the warmth of your love and being together. And that is what they will tell you, but I know better. I hear the gossip, one of us is pushy, one is mother's pet, one is neurotic - and I know I am the family slob. They've already started with the "Do you think you'll be ready" jibes.
They'll be sweet and kind, laughing and hugging when they are here. But if I don't out Martha, Martha Stewart - it'll be tsk, tsk fodder for the next 8 years.
You see, I so what them to see me in another light. I am the unaccomplished one -- they view me as unsophisticated, borderline redneck, the poor relation, the family sympathy case. Ok, I am exaggerating a little. A little.
Loretta is an international meeting planner who travels to exotic places making fantastic things happen for big important companies.
Kathy has her PHD in electrical engineering, teaches graduate level programs at ASU and delivers papers at important conferences.
Nancy has opened her own string of fashionable clothing stores and her husband collects vintage cars.
I'm a first grade teacher -- yeah, yeah - in the grand scheme of things teaching kids to read and do basic math is probably much more important than what my sisters do. It is kind of altruistic, like working for the peace corps. But nobody wants to hear about my exciting breakthroughs or plans for next season. I do have other credits to my name. I taught claymation to gifted and talented children. I wrote a couple grants that brought about a million dollars to the district for technology equipment, then spend 3 years training teachers how to use the technology. I was the segment producer for a local educational TV program for our district. And I have worked with the state department of education in the area of educational technology development. But when I come home at the end of the day, my professional title is First Grade Teacher.
I'm also a mother - of 5 kids. My engineering professor sister now has a politically correct size family of 2, the other two eschew children (actually Loretta considered having a kid on her own, but for whatever reason decided against it). After my 2nd child, each additional pregnancy announcement was greeted with raised eyebrows (what's the matter, don't you know how to quit??). The fact that my husband and I were struggling to make ends meet at the time didn't help. The terms poor, barefoot and pregnant probably bounced back and forth in the gossip calls. They never said it to my face, but I could read it in their eyes.
The fact that I put myself through school to get my teaching credential and went on to get my masters did earn me some brownie points. But their overall impression of me is still lacking.
Or at least that is what I feel like sometimes.
So it is important to me that Christmas 2011 is nearly perfect. I'm practical enough to know I don't dare go nuts striving for absolute perfection - my sanity is worth more than my family's opinion of me.
But I've got a good year to pull off a decent show. Plus ++ the best way to get motivated to get the house in order is to invite company! When it's over, I have a pulled together home :D
Only 363 days to go.