just do it for me ...

In recent years I have started decorating for Christmas pretty early. I get it all out in the spare room and do a little at a time. But it seems harder and harder for me to lug out all the stuff and decorate, especially since I am on my own now to do it (though I still try to reign in some of the young folk to trim the tree when they come around). And while our house used to be filled to the brim with relatives, Christmas is getting quieter and quieter as babies have come, expanding families, and making it hard to travel and all fit under one roof. So this year it will be just us, an occasional pop in from my mother living nearby, and some in's and out's from our children. And maybe a small or large party or two.

So, wondering if I had it in me to drag it all out and decorate this year, I suggested to the Gardener that I pare it down even more than I already have in recent years. Now the Gardener does not have a lot of great memories of childhood Christmases, so Christmas with our family in our cozy house means a lot to him.

He cut my chatter short. "Just do it for me, only me," he said quietly.

Will do my love, with pleasure.

Reposting from November 2007 and could be written today. Joining with Chari's Happy to Design  for Sunday "reruns."