Trimming the Tree

We donned some festive shirts before we set to work. I got Roo's on after Christmas clearance last year it says "Santa's Little Helper." It looks like she has an elf body when she wears it. Cute, right. While the adorable seasonable shirts for a 4yr old girl are bountiful I didn't find anything for the big kid so he put on his "Shrek the Halls." Roo's shirt wasn't the only thing I bought and put away either. I got the kids each a Hallmark ornament too. Isaac's is E.T. and he clips on a light and his heart glows red. Riley's is Tinkerbell peeking around a leaf. It was so nice to just have those ready to go.

Mike came into our relationship with a tradition passed down from his father's bachelor days. Ordering Dominos Pizza on tree decorating night. This is non-negotiable for Mike. This is also the one night a year Isaac is allowed to have Coke. In pervious years we got Riley a milkshake so she didn't feel left out, but this year my big girl had Sprite. I had no idea how emotional I'd be about my baby joining in the yearly soda tradition, but I cried a little. She felt like a rock star though. After a floor picnic with a view of the tree it was time to decorate.

Pretty amazing, isn't it? They did a great job being gentle with the ornaments and not moving them once they were in place. I think the tree looks stunning. Now if the kids in front of it would slow this growing up nonsense down. Looking at pictures of tree decorating from the last couple years I teared up. Everything changes so quickly it's nice to have these yearly traditions to come back to. As grateful as I am for the constancy they are an unavoidable benchmark for change. Happy decking your halls everybody!

Tree Picking!

Please go re-read last years Tree Picking Poem. It's the reason this post is a little tardy. I just couldn't think of anything as cute to say this round. It was a completely new experience this year. I found a $2 off coupon for a tree lot we'd never been to. The prices they were advertising sound reasonable and the trees were available starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

We picked up Riley from Pajama Day at school and headed off to get a tree. Traditionally we get the tree in my station wagon, but it's been broken in the driveway for months. My attitude about the whole thing was "Yay, trying something new!" and as always Mike's was "We'll see about this." As we were making our way through the early evening traffic we realized we'd have to get a tree on or in Mike's smaller car and then travel a farther distance through heavier traffic to get home. It was starting to seem like one of those "sounded good on paper" ideas. Then we arrived in a less than inviting neighborhood and pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot.

We could see the sign with prices on it from the car and they we MUCH higher than the ad promised. Mike started fuming and my suggestion to get out and look around since we were already there made it worse. We left and headed for Home Depot's tree tent. Later in the week when Mike and I were watching A Christmas Story he said the haggling with the salesman at the tree lot scene was what he imagined that place would have been like.

We've been getting the tree Thanksgiving week since the first time we hosted. We've had a dead dried up trees by Christmas at least once, but I think we've figured out a few things. We refused any tree prep at the tent in favor of Mike cutting the trunk at home so we knew it had been done properly and saved until right before it went into water. Mike also treated the tree with a plant hormone that makes it thirsty. We got a nice new tree stand and I put "Water the Tree" on Isaac's list as a daily chore.

Once we picked our 6-7ft Fraser Fir Mike insisted we didn't have them cut the ties on it so we could look at it. We could tell it was reasonably full and very green. Mike said "It had a good trunk." So, we put the seat down and shoved the tree in to Mike's car. He drove with the top of the tree over his shoulder the five minute ride home. As you can see, he stood the tree in it's spot and Riley helped him release it from all the bindings. It was very full when it opened. I just kept laughing and saying "Little full, little sap."

Now Mike will put the lights on (white lights tight through the middle and colored lights on the outside) and we'll enjoy it for a few days before we cover it with ornaments.

Deck the Halls!

These are our favorite new toys. They're called "Holiday Specs." We picked them up when we got the tree. They make any bright, distant light (like Christmas lights) look like a holiday figure. We got one of each so we have Santa, Snowman, Christmas Star and Snowflake. Completely worth the $2, endless fun. For now we keep them by the the tree, but we'll take them on all our holiday outings.

They are just little paper glasses with plastic lenses. The second picture is Isaac trying them out with Riley's little pink tree. We got it at Target she carried through the whole store she looked like the fanciest lumberjack ever! This was after we put the lights on it, before ornaments. Also, pre-mom's surgery notice the tidy toys.

There's my fancy girl putting some ornaments on. The finished product was photographed a few days after my surgery (oy! the mess). Cute as it can be, isn't it?

Isaac got a regular colored tiny tree. A few years back we got him a live tree for his room. It was a disaster. He confirmed multiple times that this one did not need to be watered. I'll have to get another picture of it with the lights on.

Roo with my reindeer that lights up and sings Jingle Bells. He's also a favorite. I got him from Hallmark when I lived in California. It wouldn't be Christmas without singing, light up toys that annoy mom and dad.

All my helpers!

101 uses for Mom's cruthes: fluffing the tree. Hard to reach? Not with a little resourcefulness.

Drum roll please.....OUR TREE

Again I'll have to get a good shot of it lit soon. Even so, it's a beauty. The boxes underneath are Mike's DIY tree water-er.

'Twas Tree Picking Night

Roo in her reindeer shirt. And Isaac's wide smile. For the Christmas-y-est tree they'd go a whole mile!

Away to the car they flew like a flash! Out through the window, maybe over the dash? We spied the newly pitched tent all aglow. It's luster gave us to know, inside was our prize. Our special tree to ornamental-ize.

We had a short search. We knew we were right. We loaded the tree bound up so tight. We started engine and heard home's call. Dash away, dash away, dash away all.

Freed from it's netting. Stood by the window. We stretched it's limbs fro to await the lights all a-tinkle. Happy Christmas Tree to all! And to all a good night!