This guy looks serious about guarding his tree!
We are in the thick of the season here in our own private Whoville.
Yesterday we went to pick out our tree.
It seems we had different views about what sort of tree is right.
The man thought a nice SMALL tree was what we wanted.
We who?
His reasoning was sound enough.
1) Price.
Why is it that we live with firs and pines all around us
Yesterday we went to pick out our tree.
It seems we had different views about what sort of tree is right.
The man thought a nice SMALL tree was what we wanted.
We who?
His reasoning was sound enough.
1) Price.
Why is it that we live with firs and pines all around us
and are charged a fortune for a tree?
2) Placement.
There is a hope chest in front of our picture window where we both
2) Placement.
There is a hope chest in front of our picture window where we both
agree the tree should go.
I saw no reason that the hope chest cannot be relocated for a few weeks.
Or I didn't until I tried to move it myself...
and found that it was stuffed with very heavy items,
that would require being unloaded before relocation and reloaded after.
I have no desire to be the one who breaks precious family china.
I reset my priorities on tree purchase and off we went.
The original deal was that if I went with a small tree,
I could get a Noble.
Yay!
Until the price of very small nobles was too high for even me.
"Dougie" now lays in the back of the truck.
Its cold out there and better to keep him fresh for now.
Meanwhile...
the man climbed the ladder to the attic and handed down the boxes of Christmas stuff.
Obviously we do not need all the stuff there.
So began the "sorting out of things".
The man began to spend hours trying to find
the one or two burnt out bulbs in the outside lights,
that keep the entire string from lighting up.
Hours!
I guess you know you are getting old when you need a
magnifying glass to see if the tiny lights are burnt out.
Eventually he gave up on that method and took all the
bulbs out,
I saw no reason that the hope chest cannot be relocated for a few weeks.
Or I didn't until I tried to move it myself...
and found that it was stuffed with very heavy items,
that would require being unloaded before relocation and reloaded after.
I have no desire to be the one who breaks precious family china.
I reset my priorities on tree purchase and off we went.
The original deal was that if I went with a small tree,
I could get a Noble.
Yay!
Until the price of very small nobles was too high for even me.
"Dougie" now lays in the back of the truck.
Its cold out there and better to keep him fresh for now.
Meanwhile...
the man climbed the ladder to the attic and handed down the boxes of Christmas stuff.
Obviously we do not need all the stuff there.
So began the "sorting out of things".
The man began to spend hours trying to find
the one or two burnt out bulbs in the outside lights,
that keep the entire string from lighting up.
Hours!
I guess you know you are getting old when you need a
magnifying glass to see if the tiny lights are burnt out.
Eventually he gave up on that method and took all the
bulbs out,
replacing them one by one and chucking the ones
that did not light the strings up.
I had my own part deciding which ornaments would be used.
Not much choice really.
Besides the man's football ornaments
(Raiders and Ducks)
all we have are plain plastic gold balls all the same size.
These are some we were gifted with when I'd left all my
ornaments with my boys.
I think they must have been from a theme tree.
One with gold balls, gold garlands and all white lights.
I'm not a theme tree person.
I did find a string of multicolor lights.
Yay!
But no cherished memory ornaments from children now grown.
Sigh.
I'm thinking now that Elmer's glue and glitter
will give the gold balls character and color.
I'll string Trix cereal for a garland
and make some baker's dough ornaments
to paint and add to the mix.
Time to make new memories!
So do you have a favorite thing to do or make for your tree?
Are you a theme tree person?
Or is your tree filled with memories?
that did not light the strings up.
I had my own part deciding which ornaments would be used.
Not much choice really.
Besides the man's football ornaments
(Raiders and Ducks)
all we have are plain plastic gold balls all the same size.
These are some we were gifted with when I'd left all my
ornaments with my boys.
I think they must have been from a theme tree.
One with gold balls, gold garlands and all white lights.
I'm not a theme tree person.
I did find a string of multicolor lights.
Yay!
But no cherished memory ornaments from children now grown.
Sigh.
I'm thinking now that Elmer's glue and glitter
will give the gold balls character and color.
I'll string Trix cereal for a garland
and make some baker's dough ornaments
to paint and add to the mix.
Time to make new memories!
So do you have a favorite thing to do or make for your tree?
Are you a theme tree person?
Or is your tree filled with memories?
the first year we had ruby she pulled the tree down. i can't think of anything in the house that she didn't pull down or chew.
ReplyDeletemaybe you can turn roxie into a reindeer like the grinch did to maxx.
billy pilgrim- We aren't sure what Roxy will do to the tree. It's been a bit of a concern. But we are hoping that since she is 4 that she will behave.
ReplyDeleteI have a son named Max who refuses to wear antlers because of that story. Maybe Roxy will cooperate. If she does, I'll post pics.
I like the idea of making new memories. My tree trimming journey has been similar to yours, going from all the sweet kid-made stuff, to presently having a pretty, but small and simple tree. Maybe next year when DR is here we will do something new :)
ReplyDeleteI used to cringe at our gaudy tree, many who came by would laugh at all the mis-matched home-made ornaments up there (one year Sam gifted us with a plastic girrafe, just so's you know I am NOT exaggerating). But now they are too grown to make them any more (even Sam), I am so glad I still have them to hang on the tree!
ReplyDeleteWe've always gone for a floor-to-ceiling real tree, but potted ones, so we can re-plant them in the garden afterwards (that way they are always good to be dug up again for another year or so, until they grow roots too deep). But this year, with the eldest not around to help, I finally decided to go "fake".
I'm the only one who likes the bloody thing..
Ah. Christmas trees.
ReplyDeleteI owned multicolor lights when we got married... the kind with the little doo-dads on them that make them blink and move &c. My favorite setting was "slow fade" where one color comes on at a time, and fades as the next fades in? That and "all" where it just does everything it can do in a cycle.
My wife did not like these. White lights. All right, that wasn't huge for me.
Until she got an antique star topper in multicolor... then I had to go out and buy all multicolor again. Non-moving, of course.
One year, she wanted to go all Martha Stewart and string popcorn and cranberries for garland. Fair enough, I said. Have you ever done that before? No, she said. OK. I'll do the berries, you do the popcorn.
Heh, heh.
When she realized how much faster it was going for me, she asked Have you done this before? Yup. My Nana liked that look, which is how I know I want no part of stringing popcorn. What a royal... well, you know.
We have loads of antique, non-kid-friendly blown glass bulbs. Someday we'll bust those out again. She wanted to try this year. I just looked at her as the boys thundered through the room. They're still packed.
Our trees these days have white lights, numerous tiny red and white hats and mittens, knitted by her grandmother, candy canes, and all our Christmas cards, just stuck into the branches.
I think it looks better than it may sound.
I have loads of ornaments from the days of my childhood, some of which MY WIFE likes and others that she doesn't. We usually compromise a bit on which will get onto the tree each year. I also prefer big colored lights, while she would like small white ones. We've generally alternated years on that. This year, she bought us a lovely new silver tree (it really is pretty, and I wish I had a photo to show) and it will have only ornaments and no lights, the lights not being needed due to the silver branches and the SPINNING COLOR WHEEL she bought to go with it :-)
ReplyDeletelaura b- It is very exciting to think that we are starting new memories on the tree. I'm so glad that DR is coming for your Christmas this year. I can't think of a better present!
ReplyDeleteShrinky- Ha! They will learn to love it.
ReplyDeleteMy folks began to get potted trees about the time that I left home. They also planted them. I think that its a wonderful idea, but I imagine that eventually you would run out of room in the yard.
Cricket- I think I had that same set of multi lights that did fun things. Squeaky set them somehow so that they responded to sound. It was fun while music was playing but got a bit ridiculous when they began to respond to the TV. Watching Deadwood was like being in the middle of the charge of the light brigade. Fun stuffs!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that another year or two would be wise to protect your delicate balls. lol
Suldog- I love the big old crayola colored lights!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit burned out on the tiny white ones. They seem sort of cold to me.
You have to take pics this year! I want to see your silver tree with the color wheel. It sounds fun and I am a sucker for gadgets.
When I can get our stinkin' tree to stand up straight, it'll be full of memories. We get an ornament every year as part of the Christmas dinner table decorations. I love putting on the ornaments.
ReplyDeleteMy girls got to pick out a new ornament every year. So, our tree is filled with memories.
ReplyDelete3GirlKnight- Ha! We had the battle for a straight tree about a half hour ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great tradition!
Merry Christmas!! We are so out of it this year that we have not even got a tree. Finally got decorations up this week, and we are just using a small, fake one as the Christmas tree. Wanted to do something because is aware of what a Christmas tree is and wanted to help decorate. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm hungry. I may eat your trix garland.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a noble?
ReplyDeleteI just use wooden garland that looks like cranberries, and ornaments, but I love decorating the tree.
Churlita- We did that too. Our idea is that when the kids moved out, that they would have a nice set of ornaments to start their own trees some day.
ReplyDeleteMr.Shife- My grandmother used to have a small fake tree every year. It made us giggle as kids, but it also made some sweet memories. I bet K loved helping to decorate! Merry Christmas back at cha!
Pamela- Ha! One year we caught a mouse eating our popcorn garland, but he didn't eat the Trix. But hey, as a silly rabbit, I know that Trix are for kids! Maybe the mouse did too.
secret agent woman- A noble fir is a kind of tree. I think most of the fun of decorating the tree is what you make to put on it.
No theme trees for us. Our tree is decorated with an eclectic collection of memorable ornaments that grows with each passing year. My favorites are the ones my girls brought home from grade school, but there are some newer ones, too.
ReplyDeletei was married the week before christmas and my mother made my gown and my girls' gowns. their gowns had a small red bow o each shoulder so my mom made extra to put on candles at the reception. after the reception we gathered them up and i have put them on my tree every year since then...along with all the kids' ornaments and various memories.
ReplyDelete