Planning that Assault

With Thanksgiving next week (huh? what? no way!) I started thinking about decorating the house this year for Christmas. I am mostly in charge of decorating the outside with Jen doing most of the stuff in the inside. Of course with a 1 year old there won't be much inside this year. So far the plan for the Christmas tree inside this year is to get a real one and put it in the corner where we can barricade it with land mines and barbed wire, or maybe just a gate. William's first Christmas he really didn't mess with the tree that much, but Andrew is a little more of a free spirit. Last year for the outside decorations I only put up a couple wreaths on the front porch since we had just moved in and I didn't have the time (so unlike me). This year I am chomping at the bit to put up lights,but like most people in a new neighborhood I am kinda waiting to see when the neighbors start working on them. I don't want to be the nut who puts them out too early, but I also don't want to do it if it is snowing or 30 degrees outside either. I am thinking this weekend or next weekend to start working on lights (nothing turned on until after thanksgiving or the first of Dec, I refuse to). With a new house I get to plan on where to put lights and how to best use my decorations. I am trying to plan on stringing together the lights to end up near an outlet where I can put a timer. At the other house I put all of the decorations on the lightswitch since I didn't have any outdoor outlets, but this house has an outlet right on the front porch. At the last house I did put lights on the 2nd story gutters, but I was basically taking my life in my hands doing that getting on a cold, wet roof and hanging over the edge, so I am thinking "no" to the second story this year. Maybe I will do like the last house is just gradually add a little more each year. Of course thinking about this, I remember that I have to pull everything out of the attic, . There are about 6-8 of those huge tupperware containers in an attic with no stairs and me only with a 6 foot ladder, so prepare yourself for the story about that to come.