Post Holiday Post

So here is a mug of 'Decorating Man' as in solstice tree decorating man, as in everything right now ends in -man. Baker Man, Worker Man, Wood Man (when he is helping dad haul in wood for the fire). His own naming convention. I'll attempt to post some video of the tree decorating soon. Should add that one of the biggest challenges I have as a parent is letting go of The Control Thing. When I occasionally succeed, the results are almost always surprising (to me) and wonderful (to everyone else). The tree decorating a case in point. There is mom, trying to evenly space the colors and ornaments, make sure no bare spots exist, similar items separated (there are careers for sick people like me)...but Oliver had ideas of his own. Dad employed some tape and festive holiday ribbon and tied me kicking and screaming to a nearby chair (kidding) to get me out of Oliver's way and the magic began...the carrot and strawberry ornaments were all hung side by side, logically, with the sun ornament, 'so they could be together in the garden and ripen in the sun,' all of the cactus ornaments were grouped together with the coyote, and after years of painful segregation, the snowmen were finally allowed to commingle...