Get In The Spirit

It's almost Independence Day, American ReaderFriends!

(And non-American ReaderFriends. It's just as much Independence Day if you don't live in America, but it probably isn't so high on your radar.)

The time of parades and barbeques is upon us.

I've written before (http://lackadaisychain.blogspot.com/2011/07/holiday-celebrations.html) about my fourth-of-July shenanigans with my Mumma, and this year is no exception.

Except that, this year, I had the theme well in advance, and still wasn't able to come up with anything.

See, the theme that was chosen is "Christmas Spirit in July."

Barf.

That's right - I said barf.

I abhor the Christmas in July theme. I feel as though Independence Day is a big deal, and although I do love me some Christmas magic, I think Halloween through New Years is enough time to devote to that holiday.

So my heart wasn't really in it, which is frustrating - I had a librarian counting on me, who happens to be my maternal unit (so there was a heavy possibility of guilt).

It was Sunday, as I was elbow-deep in cleaning the kitchen windows at my home before I came up with a suitable idea for our float.

(I'm sorry... I can't tell you what it is. Not yet. We have to get through the parade first.)

So yesterday I printed out the paper goods I would need, and last evening I sat down with my scissors (and, admittedly, a stiff drink...) and got to work.

I only got through one out of four signs before my hands cramped and Boyfriend of Amazingness was sick of turning up the television volume because my snippery was being too loud. But I'm hopeful.

However, more than just paper goes into making a suitable float.

Since there's a Christmas theme, we had to figure out what we would be giving to the children along the sides of the road. It's difficult to embrace a Christmas theme without being giving, so backing out on the treats (like we typically do) just wasn't an option.

My suggestion was home made Christmas cookies. My sister and I are both capable bakers, so whipping up a couple hundred baked goods wouldn't have been a tremendous undertaking. It just requires time... which we don't have.

As I was panicking about that particular situation this morning, my mother pointed out Halloween Syndrome:

Parades are a busy place. Parents aren't prone to keeping a close eye upon their children, so they can get overwhelmed if anything but pre-packaged goods show up in their treat bags. So... most of the cookies would have been rejected or discarded.

And that would have been a saddening, upsetting waste.

A short discussion led us to realize that we could solve this situation easily, and so that's taken care of. But there's still more to do.

Should we decorate the truck with popcorn strings? It's a fun idea, but they take forever to make. It's just not practical. And what if a bird eats them? There might be poop, and poop simply isn't festive.

Should we decorate with real ornaments? They're authentic enough, but tend towards being fragile and, again, aren't practical. What if one breaks, and all the Christmas magic gets away? I cannot have that responsibility on my shoulders.

What should we choose as a song? Having music blasting is part of the parade experience, but it's difficult to find one that appropriately fits with our twist on the theme. I can't just willy-nilly say "Yup, we're grooving to Jingle Bells this year!" This must be duly considered, and the perfect song selected with great care.

There's so much should-ing going on in my brain, it's getting pretty crowded in there. I think I need some cookies just to settle my thoughts.

And then some cookies to calm my nerves.

And then some extra cookies and probably a drink to get me through the next 36 hours.

I think I'm currently accepting happy Christmas wishes, my ReaderFriends - I need all the help I can get!