home + garden

Oh yes, Thurston, let's do hire professionals to trim our Christmas trees this year. Then we can relax and enjoy burning the traditional $100 bills in the fireplace.

Surprise, surprise! The first post, as I pretty much figured, is from someone jealous, envious, or just plain mad that someone else has the means and ambition to go all out with their decorating. Was it the shot of the lake and swimming pool that did it for you? Do you types ever stop to consider how people with money to spend prop up the economy in good and bad times? Ever stop to wonder how this family became successful, and what you could learn from people like them? Of course not.

I actually clicked on this headline thinking it was about pruning. When I saw the 10 trees and the need to hire a professional, I laughed out loud. What life lessons can we learn from these folks besides "Christmas is for excess"? This Christmas for us is for car-repair bills and budgeting for visits to ailing relatives. Guess that puts us in the "humble heirloom ornament" class.

I also thought the article was about tree pruning! LOL. I think having someone else do the decorating seems so impersonal and even though some of the trees do have sentimental ornaments, the trees as a whole are conceived by someone else. Makes the whole affair seem like it is more for show than for family tradition. As far as the other poster's comment about successful people helping the economy? Seems like the only economic benefit is to the Bachmann family. I'm not jealous, envious or anything like that. This article comes on the heels of recent stories about Black Friday and just adds to the whole perception that it's all about the money and profits.

Let's face it, Christmas is simply a product now. This article helps push the message along.

In all seriousness, I feel for this family, who may not have seen the negative comments coming. They have a gorgeous house and gorgeous decorations and are probably surrounded by people with the same things. As for the rest of us, ever stop to think that maybe the "Buy more and more" economy we've had the last 20 years isn't one we can continue to prop up? Are we really having better Christmases with 10 trees and 20 rooms than our grandparents did with a tree-lot pine in a rambler? Oh well. Merry Christmas and have fun decorating. Looks like jaimejj and I will be out pruning.