As Christmas time draws near;

The children want a ten foot tree,

Just like we had last year.

But it will dwarf the living room

The realtor's hinted this

And it will spoil the spaciousness,

Must we give it a miss?

My husband's banging on the roof

He's fixing Santa's lights

With seven reindeer up there too

The whole street has bright nights.

The realtor talked about the lights

Be subtle please, he said.

But in the front yard, eight foot high Sits Santa, elves and sled.

We had a viewing yesterday,

They didn't stop too long

They twice admired the Christmas lights

I think we've got it wrong!

It is always a problem to strike a happy balance when showing your house during the Christmas season. On the one hand you want it to look clutter free and spacious, but on the other hand - well, what about Christmas? To many of us, Christmas means a tree and stockings on the mantel and lights around the house.

Of course, to some of us it means none of these things, and this could mean your prospective buyer. Apart from this, there is the problem of over crowding. Most of us happily recognize that an influx of Christmas 'stuff' usually crowds the average living room.

Trees are getting bigger, then we must have a few presents underneath the tree, making the floor space look even smaller. How about a tiny tree for a change? What about the cable for the lights, is it well hidden? Do those extra candles on the mantel detract from the pre-Christmas clean uncluttered look?

If you have lights on your house, minimize them this year. Try lighting up the eaves or the interesting roof detail you may have. Leave the blow- up Santa and his elves packed away in the garage while your house is on the market. If the children complain, tell them that Santa needs a holiday this year!