To
say the least, I get very intense around Christmas. I am bossy and I will have
my way by any means. I will be on my toes most of the time, overbearing and
highly intolerable, assigning duties to everyone including the toddler. Rest
of the year, I am exceptionally sweet, lovable, modest and down to earth. I do
not know how others perceive it though, as very often I am mistaken to be
carrying over the Christmas code of conduct for another eleven months, but as
we all know everyone has the right to judge and I exercise my right to ignore.
When
I was younger, artificial trees like we have now and tree ornaments existed
only in the homes of NRIs so we satisfied ourselves by decorating the fern
plant from our garden. After my marriage I made it clear that in the month of
December there will be a Christmas tree in my living room, at any cost. And so
it happened. We had shifted to a different country, Oman, in year 2010 and had
minimal furniture and vessels, but Christmas tree was certainly there (going by
my unwritten rule). We still have the same tree carefully packed in its box
resting under our bed cabinet, fresh and very usable, almost as good as new.
However I am known to be extravagant and quite a wasteful spendthrift around Christmas…Oh
did I not mention that earlier? It is the complete opposite of what Christmas really
means, due to the obvious fact that baby Jesus was not born in Breach Candy
hospital. So despite having a very usable tree, I went Christmas tree shopping.
Day
1: We went to the Lulu(supermarket) near our house and found the most amazing tree ever. But
then a voice in my head said… ‘Hey! C’mon you should know better…you cannot
possibly ‘like’ the first tree you saw…don’t you want to check those at Home
center as well and make a wise decision?’ Of course, what was I thinking?
My favorite tree from Lulu |
Day
2: We went to home center and found the most expensive trees not worth a single
penny.
Day
3: We went to Sultan center mall and found trees from the 18th
century. So Lulu tree it is…My favorite tree…here I come..get ready and pack
your bags!
Day
4: At Lulu, I was told that my favorite tree was sold out. I yelled crazy. ‘We
could check in the other Lulu right?’ I consoled myself (In Middle East, there
is a Lulu in every corner).
Day
5: At the other Lulu, my favorite tree was there. Three of them on display, and
others were in boxes. ‘Brother, please pack this item, we don’t have time to
think ’I said. Whoosh! We almost flew home in excitement.
Day
6: The tree stayed in the box.
Day
7: The tree stayed in the box.
Day
8: Midnight: I opened the box and set it up. It was the ugliest tree of the
entire Christmas tree collection in the history of Lulu. The damn sales guy packed
the wrong tree.
Day
9: Complete hysteria. The car sped towards the Lulu that spoiled our lives,
with the box of so-called tree, its bill, and a temper that had gone ablaze. The
sales guy apologized and confessed that my favorite tree including the ones on
display was sold out from there as well. We came home sailing in our own tears.
Day
10: I dusted my tree from 2011 and lit it. It took more time as I had to wipe
tears in between. My son thought that putting up Christmas tree was some sort
of sad ritual wherein one remembers dead forefathers.
At
the end, my tree looked something like this. Not so bad eh?
My Christmas tree |
Lessons
Learnt:
1. When you
find something you like, buy it immediately. Do not wait to compare, especially
seasonal stuff like Christmas trees, mangoes and watermelons. Cunning and ruthless people are
waiting like wolves to grab what you wanted so dearly, I am telling you.
2. When you buy
an item, open the box and check it at the store itself before heading for home.
This does not apply to milk and eggs.
3. The
intensity of your greed to buy something you already have is inversely
proportional to your chances of owning it.
4. When you put
up Christmas tree, do not cry. Do it to create memories for yourself and your
kids. If the kid does not give a damn of your precious and beautiful tree, it
is most likely you are raising a boy. The male species develop such annoying
indifference to all things beautiful at a very early stage. In this case as
early as two years and five months of age.
Merry
Christmas everyone! Hope you guys find your perfect tree!