Every December a local organization has a fundraiser where they sell tickets to tour 4-5 homes that have been decked out by local decorators and florists for the holidays. The houses are of course impressive, even before the professionals move in. Last year my friend and I got roped into volunteering at one of the homes. Our job was to keep the flow of people moving in the right direction, and make sure people weren't stealing anything or poking around in closets or underwear drawers. The whole things has a sick, voyeuristic quality to it.
On Saturday, my friend and I showed up at the house we were to 'work' at, and what a few hours it turned out to be! We were stationed upstairs, and were to move people through the upper level and down a back set of stairs. We weren't there 4 minutes when the craziness started.
The first three women who came upstairs were having fun, chatting about the decorations, etc. They went into a bedroom next to me and a big decorative sign that was perched on top of the closet door molding falls off and hits a woman in the head! It took her a minute to get herself together and when she pulled her hands away from her head, she had blood on her hands! This was not the cushy volunteer gig I signed up for! I quickly took her over to my friend who helped her into the bathroom and I ran down to the person in charge. When I told the woman what happened... well... her exact words can't be repeated on a family blog such as this one! In the end, the injured woman's head slowly stopped bleeding and they were able to laugh about it. I was shocked when the woman in charge said to call her next year for free tickets to the tour. That's it. I hope a lawsuit isn't coming!
That was a crazy way to start the afternoon, but it only got stranger. The point was to see the decorations, yet people felt like it was an open invitation to peer into the lives of the people who lived there! I had people push by me into a closed off bathroom. When I told them it wasn't decorated for the holidays, they said it didn't matter, they just wanted to look. People stood and read every word of framed diplomas. One woman took her shoes off to see if the floor had radiant heat. People grilled me wanting to know how big the home was, and how many people lived there. I'm telling you, it was creepy. I'm not sure I'd want thousands of people traipsing through my home and trying to sneak peeks into my bathroom, even if it was worthy of being on the tour! My friend said the same thing... she was creeped out by it too. We decided we need to have plans when they call us to see if we'll volunteer next year!
1 comment:
Laura, that's funny! I have always wanted to go to those Parade of Homes Christmas style events! But the description of this one makes me think that we have all turned into a big bunch of voyeurs... what with blogging, facebook, and these home shows and all! :)))
Post a Comment