Not everything. There’s a difference.

I do it all or nothing. I used to try to do EVERYTHING all or nothing…that’s impossible, I have found that out the hard way. But what I do choose to do…be it Christmas decorating, throwing a party, helping out a friend it’s all or nothing. If I can’t do it right to best of my ability then I am not doing it. If I say I am gonna do it, whatever it may be come hell or high water I will do it.

This is why our town Christmas Tree lighting on Friday night really bugged me. Usually the Swing singing group from our HS sings beautiful accapella Christmas carols on the steps of Town Hall, the town officials say a few words, the smaller children gather around the “magic button” and turn the lights on the giant pine tree that stands in the middle of town, and there’s free hot chocolate for all! Sounds like a Norman Rockwell painting doesn’t it? Yeah well not this year folks. They cut down that big tree over the summer. And they asked the younger choir from the elementary school to sing, (cute, but let’s say less than melodic) they lit some very lame 7 ft tree that had some crappy lights “thrown” on it and the hot chocolate tasted like brown water. Am I the Grinch? No. I am just an all or nothing type of gal.

If cutting back has lessened what the Town can do for the tree lighting or the big old pine was dead and needed to be cut down I get it. I can even take the blah hot chocolate that was apparently made by some orangutan…you get what you pay for and like I said it was free.

But for crying out loud, keep the choir that sings so beautifully (for free) that the Townsfolk enjoy singing along with. The little singers were adorable but when it’s not your kid or some cute little kid you know singing, it’s really not that enjoyable. There were older people who came to enjoy the town tradition that were kinda talking amongst themselves while the kids were singing or lip syncing… am I am not even sure which.

Decorate the small pathetic tree well. Trim the tree with beautiful evenly placed lights and ornaments. Have all the children that pushed the “magic button” take a picture by the tree to put in the town paper, not the politicians who threw the lights on the lame tree.

I left annoyed. I was annoyed that I inhaled my dinner to get Mike over there not to miss a thing. I was annoyed to high heaven about that tree. I have to drive by it every day now I feel like sneaking over there in the dark of night and adding lights to it. I was annoyed and the blatant lack of enthusiasm or attention to detail. The only thing that didn’t annoy me was that Mike thought the hot chocolate was fine, he got to push the button and run around in the dark with his buddies. He left happy. That’s all that really matters I know…but I also know that the details matter. At least they matter to me.