Blow-ups, Puff-ups

As a family, we welcome the holiday season with tree decorating, lights, green and trains. The children were eager for the afternoon of Thanksgiving for that was when they could raid the attic for Christmas decorations. That afternoon Hannah disappeared - where was she? - in the attic gathering the lights. She is our lights girl. Drive by our home and all the brilliance and color is her doing. If she had her way, we would also have a yard full of blow-ups and puff ups :)

The most raved about decorated home in our household is not our own but rather the house down the road with 10 to 15 large blow up ornaments. When did Blow-up/puff-ups become the in decor for the front yard? Growing up we had the glowing plastic 8 reindeer with Santa and his sleigh. I also remember as a child reveling over its magical glowing qualities.

We were in the hardware store yesterday buying more lights and they had the Santa on motorcycle blow-up. It was deflated and the children had the privilege of watching it inflate. They marveled and giggled as it transformed from a pile of colored plastic to a full size lawn ornament. Wow, I thought to my self, wouldn't they love seeing the house down the street inflate all their blow-up ornaments. A letter in their mailbox for such a request is on my to do Christmas list... I will let you know how it goes.

When we leave the house the children get so much joy in passing the blow-up/puff-up house. They have come to expect it and it makes our trips out full of humor and good attitudes. Returning home last night I thought the world was ending. We passed by the blow-up house and there was no blow-up; just limp piles of color throughout the yard. This was the conversation in the car the rest of the was home. Daniel said "It is 5:02 and they don't have their blow-up/puff-ups up yet!" Hannah replies "ooh, they are slacking. Their timers must not be working." I interject "Maybe they don't have timers and maybe they are not home." Daniel replied, "they are home their two cars are in the driveway." "Yes" Hannah says, "They are home, their lights are on."

That evening we had a 4H meeting to attend and so we all anxiously piled in the car see if the the blow ups we up. No luck but surely they would have them up on the way home. As we approached anticipation built. "I see some lights" Jonathan said. "No that's the house next door" Hannah replied. I said "what if they are not up?" Oh, mother you know better than that. They always have them up" came the reply. Well, as we drove past the yard was filled with darkness. Daniel said "They forgot". Silence filled the car for the entire trip home. (talk about expectations and let down!)

To our delight this holiday season we found another home close by that was filled with every blowup, light and movable gadget imaginable. I told the kids we will not have all the lights and blow ups in our yard...my liking is a simple and quiet Christmas but the displays are sure fun to look at. Hannah has great plans for her future; Christmas light decorator. She said she will have to move out of our house someday so that she can fill her yard with 'blowup - puff ups'. Someday, I told her maybe she can decorate the garden:)