That Damn Tree

Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 brings peace, joy, and good health to you and your families.

I love Christmas. I enjoy the greeting cards, the hustle and bustle of the season, the music and the children's excitement as Christmas day draws near. I even enjoy decorating the house and the Christmas tree. That is, I used to enjoy it...

Due to the fact, that I have three children and my husband had become concerned about potential fire hazards of a live tree, a few years ago we purchased a pre-lit artificial one. If we were going to make the investment, I insisted that the Christmas tree meet a couple of my criteria. One was that it had to be "fat". I wanted it to have some shape. Secondly, the tree had to have A LOT of light. I love a well lit tree. Fortunately, that Christmas tree did exist and we bought it. It's been a pleasure having this tree. It's easy to assemble and the lights haven't given us a problem. However, for the last two years, my children have asked to help to decorate the tree. Actually, they insist on helping. Last year, I thought it was fun and they had such a wonderful time. However, I secretly cursed them when it was time to put everything away. This year, well, let's just say I've been working on removing the ornaments for the past 6 hours and I'm not done yet. It's true, I'm a bit obsessive about putting the ornaments back in their proper boxes. After all, if they are packed neatly and I'm organized about it, it should be easier to decorate next year. Right? The problem is that when the kids help, I have no idea where anything is. Plus, placing 2 or even 3 ornaments on one particular branch, doesn't make it easy to find the ones that are hiding in the back. Inevitably, it's a smaller ornament hiding behind a much larger one! Well, back to work for me...that damn tree won't take itself down.

Oh, I just realized today is my blogoversary! This blog is a whole year old. Wow. It's true how time flies. I'm not going to resolve to write more often, but I will try. Thank you to all who read and all who take the time to comment, I appreciate it. And, if you are one of the "lurkers", please take a moment and say hello.