i’m stunned to report that this year at tree decorating i was able to have a completely laissez-faire attitude toward the lacklustre decorating style of the kids. after cheering me on as i strung lights around the tree (go mummy go!) i held out ornaments, and their little scratchy nails scraped against my palm as they grabbed, turned, then scrambled back to the tree, where they placed the ornament wherever their frantic little hands could reach.

and the only ornaments i have moved are those that have fallen to the ground. and i don’t mean ornaments that i pull off a branch, wink wink nudge nudge, drop to the ground and say, "oh! an ornament has fallen!i guess this means i must move it to another location where it fits the symmetry of the tree!"

so our poor tree is as bottom heavy as salma hayek in late pregnancy. but like salma, the tree (and kids) don’t care. they think it is a gorgeous tree. and it is quite cute in a laughing sort of way. and if you could see the gorgeously handmade and loving ornaments the kids are bringing home, then you know a haphazard tree is the only way to go right now.

i am also exceptionally proud that yesterday when we did gingergbread houses, i was able to let the kids loose. i didn’t even act as an advisor. i monitored how many m&m’s went in their wretched pie holes, but that is it. for 2007 gingerbread homestyle and living, sebastian and carys squared off against sela and jasper.

it was very interesting, because magnificent suddenly got competitive. he was supervising the carys/sebastian team, and exited into the kitchen, and returned a few seconds later, turning himself away from me. normally this man positions his bottom very close to my hand, desperate for a chance at a bum rub. yet he was, no other day to say this, avoiding me.

why? the journalist in me inquired.

obviously there was a reason. what was it.

i wrestled him and we made such a commotion the kids actually stopped eating m&m’s.

would you believe it? he had smuggled in some red icing in an attempt to create a more Christmassy look on "his" gingerbread house.

taking the high road, i shrugged. "i’m just letting the kids do their own thing" i said, removing a jelly baby from jasper’s mouth and giving it to sela who placed it on the house. (it stuck).

"you can’t" he stated. "you’re tess!"

this was of course exactly what i needed, a challenge to re-direct my competitive streak.

"just watch me" i sniffed.

so the sela/jasper gingerbread house is ridiculous, with indents of m&m’s placed and then picked off the roof as greed got the best of home decor. they had a fun time and i haven’t once mentioned that the house has no windows. their house is hilarious, but not nearly as hilarious as my dear husband’s. why you enquire? well, the red icing fell into the hands of sebastian, who decided it looked like red spiderweb, and thus, put the suggestion to his very agreeable sister that their house be covered in "red web". it looks like spiderman bled out of his costume and charles was as sick as a parrot.

ha!