David Trinko: Decking the halls, whether I’m ready for it or not

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go… and I hate it.

The Details

Over the past month, Christmas trees started popping up all over our house. It’s not exactly from an overabundance of holiday cheer, though.

A few months ago, we agreed to let our house be part of the Lima Rotary Club’s Holiday Home Tour, slated for 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. (You can learn more about the tour or buy $20 tickets to the charitable fundraiser online at tinyurl.com/sm9rtb62.)

Some of it was our duty as a pair of Rotarians; some of it was pride in showing off our cool 1920s-era home.

None of it was focused on how we actually decorated this home for the holidays. We literally moved in over Christmas last year, carrying quite a few boxes inside the evening of Dec. 25. Last year we did pop up a new artificial tree that took advantage of the higher ceilings in this home, but for about a week it was the only thing in the home.

My wife accepted the challenge to turn our home into a winter wonderland, while I decided to play the role of an eye-rolling Grinch.

Contrary to what my children might tell you, I don’t despise Christmas itself. I deeply appreciate the religious significance of it. I dislike how the commemoration of a savior born into poverty in a manger somehow turned into a celebration of commercialism and greed.

Still, I enjoy seeing Christmas lights and decorations, even the tacky ones. I just prefer seeing them after Thanksgiving, closer to when Advent starts. Our tradition is to put up the decorations after the Ohio State-Michigan game. Then I fight upstream, trying to keep our decorations out until the epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 6.

Alas, that’s not the case this year. We co-opted trees and decor from our stash, people we knew and some of Lima’s finer discount retailers to put a little Christmas in every room. Now differently themed trees pop up everywhere, even the kitchen.

That’s led to the traditional theme in the dining room and the family treasures in our living room, which I fully endorse.

Then there are some others that just feel over the top. My wife bought and put up a whimsical tree in one room. I know it’s whimsical because the box says so. It includes neon-green branches and a candy-cane pattern on its stump.

She also picked up a tree for the laundry room she started decorating with pictures of animals we’ve had over the years and other pet paraphernalia.

I knew it was starting to go overboard when our 12-year-old, whose decor style seems to be “more is more,” thought she went over the top with holiday-designed covers for the refrigerator door’s handles.

Then I thought about a song lyric. It wasn’t from a Christmas song but instead a 1996 tune by Sheryl Crow: “If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.”

Even if it feels a little bit early, I’m sure the festive surroundings will have me singing a whole different song eventually: “For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.”

See past columns by David Trinko at

LimaOhio.com/tag/trinko. — David Trinko is editor of The Lima News. Reach him at 567-242-0467, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @Lima_Trinko.