Are you hanging Christmas vacation style lights, or are you laser lazy?

Blue light fiasco

A few years ago as my husband was putting up Christmas decorations, he slipped and fell off the roof.  He broke his wrist, on one hand, his thumb on the other, had a hematoma in his leg and a concussion.  Sounds bad, and it was.  It took several months of recovery, but he was extremely lucky he made it out of that mess alive!

So the following Christmas I went on a hunt for a way to decorate our home for Christmas without pulling out the now taboo ladder.  As I cruised around looking for ideas I noticed several houses that had tiny lights covering the entire front. After a little investigation, I learned they were laser projection lights.  I had found the answer.

That year, however, was the first year of laser light introduction and they were as rare as hen’s teeth unless you shopped for Christmas decorations in July. So I spent hours looking in stores.  When that didn’t pan out I took to the Internet.  I was soon to discover that during that first year, laser lights will go down in history with the cabbage patch kids and beanie babies.  Oh yeah, you could get them on eBay if you were willing to pay ten times its retail value.  And if you went to a legitimate store, you could wait for months and by then you were thinking about sipping a Mai Tai by the pool.

I didn’t give up though and I found these large globe light strings with blue light projection.  I thought, why not?  You still had to string them up but at least you could hang them on the lower level porch and aim the projection towards the house.  My husband used a chair to hang them, which in my estimation was even less safe than a ladder, but at least it was only three feet off the ground. He got them up without further injury unless you count a sore thumb from poor aim with a wayward tack hammer.

So the on the night of the unveiling, I was a little disappointed.  To me, our house resembled a fish tank or a swimming pool with the dizzying projected blue moving lights.  Not the Christmas feeling I was searching for. So, after Christmas, they landed in our basement of lost lights.

Next year, I was better prepared.  As soon as the stores started putting out Christmas items I was there.  Sure, it was August but the early bird gets the worm, right?

I found laser lights that had an enormous repertoire of light shows, red, green, blue, white, you name it. I was beyond excited.  I felt like Jonas Salk must have felt when he discovered the first vaccine for Polio. It was an elation that would soon evaporate.

When we opened the box, the enormous round plastic globe looked cheap but convincing.  Then we put it in the ground.  No ladder, no chair, no injury, but also no good!  The lights were large blurry, moved erratically. The cheap plastic remote was confusing but we kept it because, again when the actual Christmas season came around, there weren’t any other choices. We used it that year in moderation because I still didn't care for it. 

And this year, when we hooked it up, the remote wouldn’t work.  I replaced the batteries, checked the connections, and it still didn't work.  And then I threw it at the wall and it shattered into a million pieces. File that under Crystal's epic fails. Unfortunately, there was no manual operation for it.

Fast forward to this year.  I went out and found a laser light.  It was on sale!  And they a ton of them on display! And this one does everything that I ever wanted.  It has tiny stars that cover the entire house. It has images that project as well.  It moves or stays still, however you choose.  It’s metal, not plastic and for now, it’s perfect.

Until next year…when the next new thing appears on the horizon!

What is wrong with Instant gratification anyway?

All hail The instant gratification generation!

Lately, with Christmas looming, I’ve been wondering what to buy for family members.  All the Christmas songs make it sound easy and fairly inexpensive.  After all, isn’t a personal handmade gift something to be treasured?  Sorry to say this is not so for the instant gratification generation! 

Instant gratification, so what does that mean?  Well, when a young adult sees a material thing they desire, whether it be a car, television set, expensive handbag or shoes, they buy it.  There is no waiting for the right time, a holiday, birthday or event.  They want it; they get it, right there and then.  If they cannot afford it there are always deferred payments, sales, and plastic.  After all, if they wait they may lose out.

Don’t get me wrong, we, the parents are responsible for this trend.  We’ve told them from the time they could walk that they deserve the best.  We’ve supported bad decisions, and helped them out of a debt countless times.  After all, they are adults.  They know the consequences, or do they?

The dangers of instant gratification are many.  High-interest rates, bad credit ratings, and money spent on impulse, when it could be used for more important things like rent and food. 

And what does this generation do when they become parents themselves.  They can no longer give in to the instant gratification to which they have grown accustomed.  They must sacrifice for their progeny.  They must become us, giving until there is nothing left to give.

I remember when I was a young mother.  My daughter was on top of the list.  Whatever she needed came first.  I wore my clothes till they were out of style.  I drove a used car.  I cooked dinners because restaurants were out of the question.  I paid my bills on time and my credit was immaculate. 

When my mother raised my three siblings and myself, she deprived herself of anything frivolous. If there was one piece of pie left, she cut it into four pieces and left none for herself. I believe that if there was a drought that woman would have died of thirst before she let us go without.

I am afraid for the instant gratification generation.  We, their parents will not walk this earth forever and one day they will have to depend upon only themselves.  They will have to sacrifice.  I hope that any new mother will teach their children unselfishness.  I hope that new mothers will sacrifice only when necessary and teach their children that instant gratification is not always possible. Unfortunately, as we age, we learn.  Maybe we learn too late.

I am afraid for the children of today. Every time  I enter a store there are always children crying and demanding their parents give in to their demands. And they do.  That, my friends, is instant gratification in its infancy.  And we only have ourselves to blame.

Where is the happy and jubilant Christmas magic?

Drinking coffee off the counter

It’s almost Christmas and I’m wondering where or where is the happy and jubilant Christmas magic? The stores are crowded, the roads are jammed, and we all have a list a mile long before Christmas. 

Actually I’m feeling a little guilty that I never appreciated all the things my parents did to make Christmases so special.  Now that I am a parent and my kids are adults that just take everything for granted I’m feeling unappreciated.

Does anyone even notice that my husband and I work non-stop?  Do they realize that we spent days and days bringing boxes of Christmas stuff up from the basement?  Do they see we decorate 2 large trees and two small ones?  Would they even notice if we didn’t do it?

Does anyone see that I spent an entire evening addressing my Christmas cards in calligraphy?

Baking cookies loses it’s homey magic at about midnight after you spill an entire bottle of vanilla and look like a flour covered yeti.

Christmas shopping becomes a chore instead of a labor of love after you search for a parking space for an hour and then find one only to have someone zip in before you.

And lets not forget the lines where children are definitely not watching out, but crying and pouting no matter who is coming to town.

And on Christmas day everyone just shows up and expects a big dinner.  They bring their dogs and if that dog has an accident—well, it wasn’t fluffy.  Geez I’m living in a rendition of a Christmas vacation movie.

This morning after little sleep I got up and proceeded to brew a cup of coffee in the Kuerig coffee maker.  Oops, forgot to put the cup under it before I pressed brew.  Ever rush around looking for a vacant cup while coffee is spilling all over the counter?  Well, I can tell you it’s not fun.

So, I soldier on and swear next year it will be different. 

And just when I am about to chuck the turkey on the front lawn, I hear that someone received my Christmas card and loved the calligraphy so much that they are keeping the envelope.  It made them smile. It made them happy.

So I guess the jubilant Christmas magic is not in the big things.  It’s not in the lights and work and the gifts.  It’s in the smiles.  It’s there; it’s just not as obvious anymore.

Are you prepared for Christmas blister package accidents?

Yes, it wasn’t a misprint.  I did ask you if you were prepared for Christmas blister package accidents?  Every year we buy presents for our friends and loved ones in hard clamshell blister packages.  So it is one rip and tear away from a Christmas blister package accident!

Gifts, especially for children are so exciting and they dive in headfirst ripping off the paper, then alas, struggle with the blister packages.  The thing is, blister packages don’t rip.  They are steel trap strong.  And personally I don’t understand why small toys need to be locked fort Knox-like.  I mean you’ve already bought them for the kiddies.

So you offer to help.  You rip, twist, and tear.  And even with your gym membership superman strength, nothing happens but frustration.  Your next step is to grab the scissors but that only makes the plastic sharper.  Pretty soon you will become a statistic of a Christmas blister package accident.

“Geez, Dad, your bleeding on my super hero figures.”

“Will the blood hurt the batteries Dad?”

“Daddy, Mommy says you need to put some money in the swear jar.”

So what to do about Christmas blister package accidents?  Stuff your stockings with plastic bandage strips.  I know, I know, it’s an odd stocking stuffer, but honestly you will be happy when you don’t need to run out to a convenience store on Christmas day to buy some. 

Just wanted to say that I’ve been busy with other websites of late and have been a little lax on this my first blog.  This blog I raised from a tiny tot, or should I say Giga-tot.  Anyway a friend pointed it out to me (not giving out names, Fred) that I have let my little blog sit unloved.  Hope you enjoy my insights or outsights however you may view them.

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Gift cards, yea or nay?

What did you buy this Christmas for that tween who acts and dresses like she is 25; or how about the teen that only speaks in monosyllables?  I mean seriously how do you figure out what to buy for someone whose sole communication is limited to yes and no…mostly no? How about Sister June’s tots from Florida that you aren’t even sure if they are 6 or 9?  We won’t even discuss Auntie Bertha from Phoenix who you haven’t seen since you were 6 or 9? 

I bet you opted to buy a gift card. Consumer reports states that gift cards are the worst gift you could give.  Why?  Store cards don’t have fees like bankcards but they are sometimes inconvenient since you can only use them at that particular store. A huge percentage of cards remain unused moldering away in drawers and wallets and some simply forgotten. 

Then we come to deciding which store to get that gift card from. Someone I know loved Bath and Body works and they received a gift card to Bed bath and beyond.  Ok, both have the word, bath in their names, and they are both nice stores. It is just a minor mistake but Bed bath and beyond happened to be 40 miles further than the other store so, yes, it went unused.

While Cards from malls and those issued by banks like Mastercard, Visa, and American express seem like a good idea they come with purchase fees up front.  In addition after a year of inactivity they subtract an amount every month so that a $25 card can become worthless in 10 months time!  Lose that card and you will pay a hefty fee to get another or more commonly you are simply out of luck.

The Mall cards I’ve seen literally come with a huge booklet in tiny print of stipulations, rules and limitations.  Personally I don’t even read the manuals that come with electronic equipment so I sure as heck am not going to spend my time reading that!

In conclusion if you want to give a gift to someone and you just don’t know what to get them, give them a check or cash.  There are very creative ways to turn cash into a gift that keeps on giving.  And if you get a gift card be sure to spend it--quickly!

So…your opinions are welcomed –gift cards, yea or nay?

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