Jack Frost on the Pumpkin

This year's jack-o-lantern, featuring a monster Meredith thinks is Jack Frost.

I am kind of lazy about holidays. I love them, but I dread the work they involve. Brandon approaches holidays with gusto. He LOVES them. Every piece of them. Every holiday, except Valentine’s Day, interestingly enough.

Brandon is the reason we have seven trees at Christmas, Brandon is the reason each of the kids have more ornaments than some families. If it was up to me, I’d leave one tree decorated, put it on wheels, and store it in a closet until December.

If you don’t know us well, believe me when I say there’s more to come about our Christmas traditions over the next couple of months. Clark Griswald will drag out his giant ladder as soon as we’re home from vacation the first part of November. Trust me.

I’m getting waaaaaay ahead of myself. We have to get through Halloween first. It’s mainly up to me to decorate for Halloween. I took over after our first year of marriage when neighborhood kids were afraid to trick-or-treat at our house. My decorating consists of a couple of beaded pumpkins I bought on clearance, three plug in jack-o-lanterns on the stairs, and a tiny Happy Halloween sign on our mantel. My mother in law thinks I’m terrible. I should mention you can’t see her fireplace for the pumpkins, and I have an idea where Brandon got his holiday panache.

I do get excited about the doorstep. I bought a new Fall wreath this year, from Costco of course, the same place I bought our enormous mums. I also put out a few pumpkins. I wasn’t sure we’d carve a pumpkin this year since we’ll be away for Halloween. Wrong. I should know better. To be fair, I actually encouraged it because I was in the mood for roasted pumpkin seeds.

Again, if it were up to me, our jack-o-lantern would have a jagged smile with three teeth, and triangles for the nose and eyes. I would carve my geometry lesson and call it a day. Not Brandon. Here are some of his pumpkins from years past. See if you can tell which one was carved for me.

I’ve come to the realization there’s little to gain in arguing. I just go with the flow and try to appreciate Brandon’s enthusiasm until I get our electric bill in January.