I married a grinch

Which, if what they say is true about you marrying someone like your father, is a "duh" statement. Lance does NOT get into the holidays. I've tried year after year after year. I've tried to prove to him the Fun! and Joy! that come at this time of year. Nothing. I've shown him what it's like to have a happy holiday. Nada. He still dismisses the entire month of December as a complete and utter waste of time and money. Sure, he'll suffer through my craziness of decorating anything that's sitting still long enough, and he'll participate if he has to, but he just doesn't feel it. And, before now, it would really put a big damper on the holidays for me. At least the events leading up to Christmas. And this year, with us leaving for Florida so early, he didn't want to even decorate. Not. Even. Decorate. This just didn't even compute. How can we not decorate? I guess it's no big deal when you're not really into Christmas.

But now? Oh my! Now, I have a daughter who's old enough to get it. I have a daughter who's been bitten by the same Christmas Spirit bug that I have and is anxious and overly excited about all things Christmas related. She was beside herself decorating the tree on Sunday. With each ornament we pulled out, we would reminisce together about where we got it or the year that we got it. It was so much fun! She got so excited yesterday that it was December 1st so that she could hang up the first ornament on our advent calendar. And at breakfast and lunch today? She asked, in such a way that it's almost like she believes it's too good to be true, if she could eat off of the Christmas dishes. And this one really melts my heart....she asked today if we had Christmas NAPKINS!!! Oh, a girl after my own heart. Imagine my disappointment when I had to inform her that we do not, in fact, have any Christmas napkins. *sigh*

So now, it doesn't matter that my husband doesn't get into the Christmas Spirit. Because I've got my girl who does. Wow, how cool is that? I am sitting here wondering if my mom felt the same way. I've always been excited to decorate. And I remember my Dad being sort of grinchy at Christmas time. I remember getting SOOOO excited when he'd go the extra effort to put lights up outside. I remember thinking to myself that *that* was what the Christmas Spirit was all about. Doing something extra because others will appreciate it. And that deep down, he must have felt some joy from that. Right?

Morgan asked me yesterday if we were putting lights up. Given the previous discussions on the validity of decorating when we're leaving for Florida, I didn't want to say for sure that we were. I told her we'd have to talk to Daddy. Pretty much as soon as he walked in the door last night, she told him that she put the first advent calendar ornament up and then in the same breath asked him if he was going to put up lights on our house. He told her that he would. There might be joy lurking under that grinchy exterior after all.