Two Are Better Than One

December 12, 2015

The Christmas tree was up and “fluffed”. Ornament hanging is my 9 year old daughter Sydney’s favorite part of decorating for Christmas. But before we could get to the fun part, something else needed to happen. My least favorite part of the whole process. Stringing the lights.

I pulled multiple strands of lights out of the Christmas boxes. Every year I vow to take more care and time when taking the lights off the tree, but patience has never been my strong suit. The lights are a little less jumbled together than in years past, but I know I’m in for several hours of wrestling with lights.

I plug in the lights to make sure I don’t have a strand that’s out. I’ve made that mistake numerous Christmas’s before when you think you’re done stringing the tree only to feel the agony of defeat as a strand with a loose bulb steals your Christmas cheer. Not this year though. I toss the three strands of lights that have somehow malfunctioned while hanging out in a box in the attic for the past 11 months.

I start in with the special technique my dad taught me years back about stringing lights from the edge of the tree to the center and back out again to give the tree more depth. It makes for a gorgeous tree when done but adds about triple the time.

“Mommy, remember it’s my job to help with the lights. I’m old enough now,” Sydney said. “I used to get them more tangled, but now I can help untangle them.”

Sydney worked to untangle the lights, and I started stringing. As I wove the lights throughout the tree, Sydney sat on the floor patiently untangling the light strands and laid them out so I could easily string them. And together we got the lights done in record time.

It made me realize I sometimes make life harder than it needs to be. Things in life can get tangled up. Sometimes we try to face the jumbled mess all alone. Rather than struggling through it alone, a little help can speed us through in record time.

Ecclesiastes 4:9

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.”