O Christmas Tree

Sunday afternoon we finally went to get our Christmas tree.  We cut our tree down.  Well, when I say we, I mean Mat.  We all go, but Mat does the actual cutting.

 This year, after freezing together in the cold and searching about 200 trees, we found our 2010 Christmas tree.  It is, uh, a bit full.  But we love it.  It is taking up most of the corner of our living room.

The kids had fun hunting for the tree.  Arlington really wanted a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and Finley wanted a 12 foot tree (which would have resembled the Griswold tree in our house).  Cainan was indifferent - he was just hopping around and enjoying the time outside.  Tree?  What tree?  I am having fun here.

 When we got home, Mat got to work in the playroom (more on that later) and the kids and I turned on some Christmas music and got to decorating.  Well, let me back up.  First Mat brought the tree in, got it to stand up straight in the stand, cut off access branches, and put the lights on.  THEN he went to the playroom to work.

 I put out three big plates on the floor for the kids.  I would take the ornaments out of the box, and if I felt the kids would not break them, I would put them on the plate.  They would then hang them on the tree.  I was busy trying to get the ornaments out of the box, when I turned around and saw about 1 million ornaments hanging on one branch, and that one branch touching the ground because it weighed so much.

 So - they needed a little help.

 They didn't do a bad job once they realized they needed to spread them out a little bit.  It was fun to talk about each of the ornaments.  We decorate our tree with only ornaments that mean something to us.  Things we have collected over the years, even ornaments from Mat and my childhood.  To us, the tree represents all of our Christmas memories - it is not a show piece.  It is up for discussion and to remember how grateful we are to have wonderful family times together.

 The kids get an ornament each year that is special to them to hang on the tree.  Before the kids came along, and even a few years after, Mat and I would buy each other an ornament as well.  We had gotten this idea from our friends the Orlando's - thought it was so special how they bought each other an ornament each year for the tree.  But with three kids, the tree was getting filled up and not all the ornaments were fitting.  So, until the kids are older, Mat and I have had to halt our own ornament buying.

 Most years we let the kids pick out their ornament - now that they are old enough to have opinions.  And they get so excited when those special ornaments come out of the box each year.  They recognize which ones are theirs.  And they will circle the tree looking for the perfect spot.  And then they will admire them for days - making sure they can still see them.  It is fun.

 This year, it was Finley's turn to put the angel on top of the tree.  For the last 7 years, Arlington has done it.  But now the littles are asking for a turn.  Arlington was sweet about it, and let someone else take a turn.  She is no doubt a great big sister.  So this year Finley wanted the turn.  Cainan.....was in different.  He said he would do it next time.  She was so excited.  We put the angel on last, and since Mat was working in the basement, we were long done with the tree before we were ready for the angel.

Finley would circle the tree.  She tested the weight of the angel.  She admired her dress.  She asked and asked when it would be time.  So - right after bath time, right before bed, she came down and Mat helped her put it on the tree.

She was so proud of herself.  The next morning she came down and looked at the angel, and congratulated herself on doing such a good job.  What a weirdo.

 So - here is this years tree.  With its big colorful lights, its eclectic collection of bulbs, and more memories and happiness than my heart has room for.

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Ah - such a warm hearted feeling.  I hate to burst that bubble with telling you that our playroom remodel saga has taken 2 steps backward.

We pulled up the carpet, and what did we find in one corner?  A wet spot.  We took off the baseboard - mold.  Our playroom is our finished basement and it is underground, so ground water has found its way into one of our walls.

Mat had to cut a pretty large hole in the wall to make sure he got it all.  It was depressing to watch.  So - instead of laying the floor this past weekend, we were putting up new dry wall, and making more mess.

But as of tonight, the wall is just about done.  All that is left is sanding and painting.  So we should be able to start on the floor soon.  And the cabinet is done - the doors just need to be hung.  Slow and sure.  I have finished painting all the walls, and we have pulled up as much carpet as we can.  There are so many toys down there we have to do it in sections.

I would show you the hole, but I don't want to.  You will just have to wait until we finish the whole project.  I have an image to protect.

See you Saturday.