Saint David B and B Christmas decorating is a 3 day project at our San Pedro River B &B
Every year we have decorated our Saint David B and B for Christmas. We start decorating a few days after Thanksgiving like most people, unlike some stores that start just after the 4th of July This project starts by hauling down boxes from the rafters in the garage and from shelves in the house. We thought we had placed everything in a location where we could have easy access to it. But the garage at our Saint David B and B seems to be living, breathing being and items over time have moved in front of the Christmas boxes. Some of the Christmas boxes move to other inaccessible locations. I have wondered how many other people have living garages like us.
After gathering all the Christmas storage boxes, we usually have 3 days of work ahead of us before we finish. I know we can cut the time frame down (it shouldn’t be that difficult). It is hard to understand how it takes you one day to pull everything down and put it away in marked boxes but it takes 3 days to put it up. This is a conundrum that will never be answered at anyone’s home let alone our Saint David B and B. Be that as it may, we do take our decorating seriously. Both the inside and outside get the holiday makeover but most of the work is inside. Before we start we have to move furniture and make sure the area is clean. I think that the dust hides in the boxes and just jumps out when we open them.
We have 12 foot ceilings in the great room of our Saint David B and B. To accomplish the task at hand, we need a tall ladder to reach the areas that we are decorating. When the ladder is put up it seems it is never in the right location. It seems that you are too close to do the work or it is placed too far away from the area you need to reach. Time is taken to adjust the ladder after climbing up and down a few times. Guess you just have to consider it exercise. I start with the garland since other decorations will be in the way if we put them up first. The garland is made of two different lengths so you have to find the right one for the right location. We wrap the smaller length of garland around the wood poles supporting the beams. The garland at the posts has to be evenly divided so that there isn’t an uneven look when you finish. The first time is always wrong so you rework it at least once. More time to get that right. After the posts, the beams are decorated with the longer garland that is hung along the entire length. We finish draping the rest of the garland over the top of cabinets. There is added time figuring this out. After the garland is up we add lights to the garland.
Now I think I am flying and can beat the time frame but then I find I have a little problem. After hanging the garland, I found that I didn’t have enough lights for the entire length of garland. I had chosen the red light strings that last year were probably used in another location like the tree. I am starting to get a hint on why it takes longer to put it up but in this case I am just blaming my memory. I know we can still do it in 2 days. Angie suggests that since we have extra white lights, I could take some of the red lights down that I wrapped around the poles and use them to finish the beam. Then I could rewrap the poles in white lights. Nah that is rework and I should be able to find lights in Benson We needed to purchase groceries for the breakfast of future guests who were coming in a few days anyway and it should be just a little chore to pick up the lights.
So off to Benson I go to find a string of red lights. This should be quick and easy. After getting the groceries as I am standing in line looking at the list to make sure I have everything, I see lights on the list but not in the basket. DOH! Out of line I go to find the aisle that has lights. I find the aisle in a roundabout way; meaning I went left when I should have gone right to find it. After finding the aisle with the Christmas items I look for lights. They have large outdoor lights, LED lights, light ropes and finally at the end are the mini-lights that are all scrambled together. Why? I don’t know but probably it is because someone was looking for just the right type of light. The light string I needed was red. The lights that I found in the pile were blue, white and multicolor. Now what am I going to do? I could just go and do what Angie suggested but it would be so much easier if I could find a string of red lights. There has GOT to be ONE set of RED lights around Benson somewhere.
After going to the next store, I find the Christmas aisle and whoever was at the last store beat me to this one because all the lights are scattered again. Guess what? There aren’t any red lights on the shelf. Well now I figure that I am going to have no choice but to change the light string out like Angie suggested. As I begin the drive back to our Saint David B and B, I see the dollar store. I figure this place won’t have lights but since it is here I might as well look. I walk in and travel through the aisles looking for Christmas decorations which, it turns out, are scattered throughout the store. I start to wonder if I am going to find another scrambled light mess again. I finally find the lights. Surprise! I am amazed to find 2 red strings! I buy them both and head for home.
I open the box after I arrive home with my purchases and find a close-knit cluster of lights in the box. I (patiently, ha!) stretch out the strings before I can use the lights. I know then that the 70 lights will never fit back into this box no matter what I do. After I finish installing the last strings of lights, I stand back and notice that the new wiring is white not green like my other strings. Now I have to go back up the ladder and try to minimize the white by covering the wires or pull things down and replace it again. I decide to hide the wires as best I can. Finally I am finished and can start the tree.
The tree comes in pieces but it takes time to find the correct pieces to go into the correct position of the tree. All this must be done prior to installing the lights and all the decorations. Our lighted village needs to be set on the divider and then we have all the incidental decorations that are located throughout the Saint David B and B. Setting the village and the lighting takes Angie a day. Outside we have ornaments hanging from the trees and lights are hung for effect. Three days after the start, we are finally finished. Where did the time go? I know that we used it as wisely as possible but I haven’t a clue as to why all the misfires when we should be able cut corners and save time. Maybe next year we can be better organized. Um, I just realized that in only a few weeks we’ll be uninstalling our painstaking work :-]
