Oh Christmas Tree

This morning when I woke up, I decided I'd had enough of the pine needles and took down the tree. So, I thought today would be an appropriate day to do a catch-up post about this years tree.

We always put our Christmas tree up on the 1st of December. In Brooklyn, we always had a real tree. The same guys would come down from Canada and we'd take hot chocolate to them, and Rebekah would practice her French, and we'd pick out our tree. It was wonderful.

Then when we moved here, had a garage to store a tree in AND they now make them pre-lit, so we bought an artificial one. It was a good tree, but I did always miss the great smell of a real tree.

Well, this year we got the tree out to put it up. It was Saturday, and we'd had a busy morning, but had a couple of hours before the ward Christmas Party to decorate the tree. After it was up, we noticed that the bottom section of branches were drooping, and also wouldn't light. So made a quick decision to scrap it (4 good years was reasonable), and go get a real one.

If we'd planned better, we could have gone to a tree farm, and cut our own. Instead we headed to Stew Leonard's for one.

It was FREEZING cold, but the kids were good sports.


We chose an 8ft noble fir - it really was just beautiful. I was shocked a the price, it seemed ridiculous to pay more for a dead tree than one I would plant in the yard! I considered a Frasier or spruce, but Rick and Rebekah encouraged me. Rebekah said "C'mon Mom, you know you love Christmas, get the tree you want." So we did, and I enjoyed looking at it's full branches and pretty shape all month long.

They bundled it up for us.

Then some poor guy about 3ft shorter than the tree put it on the car for us. He was strong, he hoisted it up there without even trying!

After buying the tree & getting out of the Stew's parking lot, we didn't have time to go home, so went right to the ward Christmas party with it still strapped to the roof.
That night Rick and I set it up, and added lights so the kids could decorate it in the morning (so much for that whole 1st of December tradition thing ....)

This is how they "helped" the next morning.

Eventually we got them dressed, and they got excited about decorating it. My ever-sweet Emily really helped Jane put on her ornaments. Jacob is always sure of what he's doing, and needed no help whatsoever.

Although Jacob was happy to have found the glass balls, he and Jane promptly broke 2 cutting his thumb. We decided to leave them off the tree this year.


I told myself I'd rearrange the ornaments after they were in bed, so they weren't all clumped in the middle - but didn't end up getting to it for a few days. By then, I had decided that I liked them where they were, because the kids had decorated it themselves. Rebekah and I had put some up higher as we were decorating it, so it wasn't so bad.

I'm glad I decided that, because Jacob & Jane moved them around all month long. Jacob frequently popped things other than decorations in there too (plastic animals, mail, a sock, etc.)

This is Jane's ornament that we added last year - baby's 1st Christmas 2006. We have one for each of the kids, and one for "Our 1st Christmas together." I put them on - and up high where no-one can reach. When they get a bit older, I'd like each person to put on their own, but for now I manage the fragile one's.
Ta-Da!

So now I'm trying to decide for next year. I loved having a real tree, for the smell, and it is really beautiful. Yet, it is a hassle to put on the lights, and it does make a mess. Hmmm, I'll have to keep thinking about it and decide. Have you had both? Which do you prefer and why?