Northeast Gardening: Show us your holiday decor, cont., 1 by Equilibrium

Equilibrium wrote:
The snowman isn't framed. It was a holiday greeting card sent to us and I taped it to the front of a frame that has a family photo in it.

This photo of a very innocent looking nutcracker is for Al. It appeared on our doorstep today and had a Home Depot tag on it. It very loudly and very obnoxiously plays the "March" from the Nutcracker Suite. I think I know who it came from. My family has a friendly war going on throughout the year and there is no ceasefire during holidays. It started with the bangy xylophone, push popper toys, See n Says from Matel, and dreidls that played tunes and escalated to whole drum sets and literally the louder and more nerve racking the gift the better. We're talking a competition to see who could buy the most offensive and annoying gifts for each other's kids. Excederin strength type toys that kids love and adults hate. As the kids got older, it's turned into more of an adult skirmish with each one of us trying to top each other. We've given each other electronic menorahs that play Maoz Tzur, Christmas trees that have eyes that open and sway to Jingle Bell Rock, clap your hand wall plaques of talking fish, and somebody got a Hannukah deer with antlers in the shape of the Star of David that had a mouth that opened and closed and sang something or other- ghastly, we're talking absolutely ghastly and we were all knee slapping and rolling on the floor laughing over that one.

Every family has their quirks. I'm sure our kids will be talking about who got what hideously loud gift long after we're all gone so it will be well worth it for the silly memories. Here's to our newest addition of loud and obnoxious gifts! The Nutcracker from Home Depot. Forgot to mention its arms move back and forth, its head bops to and fro, and one leg moves as if it is marching when you play it.