Christmas has arrived... at least at Patterson House... or is arriving... in about 13 hours...
We are a house museum... a grand Victorian farm house.. and now, it is Christmas... When history is subjugated in favor of glitter and tinsel... and Christmas...
Christmas comes the first weekend of December at Ardenwood Farm, home of Patterson house... So, today, about 3:45, the last tour ended, and we started Christmas... hauling trees (artificial) and garland and ladders... We need ladders... ladders are important... ladders give access to 12' ceilings... where we hand garland and decorations...
If you haven't figured it out... I run Patterson House...
Volunteers decorate... I need to take care of my volunteers...
This means soup... bread... butter...Turkey vegetable soup made from the carcase of the turkey used to feed the volunteers last week... Last week as we worked towards Christmas it meant Turkey, dressing (3 kinds) and gravy... A celebration of the end of the season.
Tomorrow, we start to decorate... There are 19 rooms to be decorated... some by one, some by many... most have decorated before, some haven't... some need help... (more this year... the elevator may not be working... things need to be carried upstairs)
I may run the place, but I am not really in control... The volunteers will do what ever they want... I can only steer... Sometimes with success, other times without...
Laughton Wainwright II said it best...
Suddenly it's Christmas, right after Halloweeen.
Forget about Thanksgiving;
It's just a buffet in between.
There's lights and tinsel in the windows;
They're stocking up the shelves;
Santa's slaving at the North Pole
In his sweatshop full of elves.
There's got to be a build-up
To the day that Christ was born:
The halls are decked with pumpkins
And the ears of Indian corn.
Dragging through the falling leaves
In a one-horse open sleigh,
Suddenly it's Christmas,
Seven weeks before the day.
CHORUS:
Suddenly it's Christmas,
The longest holiday.
When they say "Season's Greetings"
They mean just what they say:
It's a season, it's a marathon,
Retail eternity.
It's not over till it's over
And you throw away the tree.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/l/loudon_wainwright_iii/suddenly_its_christmas.html ]
Outside it's positively balmy,
In the air nary a nip;
Suddenly it's Christmas,
Unbuttoned and unzipped.
Yes, they're working overtime,
Santa's little runts;
Christmas comes but once a year
And goes on for two months.
Christmas carols in December
And November, too;
It's no wonder we're depressed
When the whole thing is through.
Finally it's January;
Let's sing "Auld Lang Syne";
But here comes another heartache,
Shaped like a Valentine.
Suddenly it's Christmas,
The longest holiday.
The season is upon us;
A pox, it won't go away.
It's a season, it's a marathon,
Retail eternity.
It's not over till it's over
And you throw away the tree.
No, it's not over till it's over
And you throw away the tree;
It's still not over till it's over
And you throw away the tree.
Once we close... December 16th this year I don't want anything to do with Christmas... I don't care about trees, lights, cards and such... I do care about Xmas dinner... but not about the other stuff... but need to ...
While taking down and putting away Christmas at Patterson House... It is a bit weird... maybe surreal...
Can I just go hide in a far away place? Please?
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