I wrote earlier this month about my seasonal office decorating with window clings. I’d just taken down the last of the autumn stuff and had not yet put up anything for winter, saying that was a post for another day. That day has come.

After the gingerbread house party, I adorned one window panel with a snowman and some penguin friends, adding snowflakes and holly for extra festiveness. You may remember this photo from this post.

I’d intended to do the other window panel and the door over the next few days, but work and family stuff demanded more time and energy than usual, so that glass stayed blank until this past Friday, when I stayed late and filled up the empty window panel with a Christmas tree and presents and snowflakes (and a big candy cane that’s out of frame) and put Santa and a penguin and a snowman on the door, positioned so when the door is open as it usually is, these characters slide right into an empty space on the window panel.

While finished the window panel on Friday, I’d moved some holly over from the first window panel and noticed the red from the berry had bled into the green of the leaves, but chalked it up to some flukey manufacturing or packaging issue. I failed to notice the very slight red staining on Santa’s white jacket trim just under his belt buckle. If I had, and had put one and one together, I might have gone back and redone some areas of the window to separate the red clings from adjacent ones, and thus avoided the disappointment of seeing this when I got in this Monday morning:

The first snowman also has some red staining on his topmost body part; I see from the first photo that it was always there (just not as big as it is now) and I didn’t notice. Blergh. I can fix the snowman by making him shorter (his scarf will have to go, too, since it’ll be too long once I take away that top body ball). A couple of the presents can have their lids removed and look fine. Where the lid or bow has bled into the box, I’m considering just cutting the boxes down. I’m gonna need a new Santa, though. He can’t be up there with his stained beard and stained suit and stained mittens. His boots are fine, and he won’t be needing them where he’s going, so maybe I’ll give them to the snowman—or the penguin, who at least has feet.

On this date in 2013: WDW Day 6: Magic Kingdom and a New Hotel
2012: Sock Monkey Summit
2011: Not Yet Socks
2010: Reversible Watch Cap
2009: In the Belly of the Beast
2008: Brain Clutter
2007: UFOs
2006: Tech Cat & Accretion is for Losers
2005: Spirit of the Season
2004: I’ve Been Working on the SQL
2003: Not a Weekly Check-In
2002: Planning