Well, the tree went up yesterday and today was the day for decorating!
I always look forward to this part of the holiday season because I think there is such joy in sorting through ornaments of past and present. The kids love hearing stories about each ornament and then creating their own stories as we place them upon the tree. After decorating the treewe drink hot chocolate in front of a roaring fireplace and talk about our Christmas wishes.
Sounds lovely, right? Yeah, if you live inside a Hallmark card.
Let me explain to you how the real scene plays out.
We open up the Rubbermaid totes full of ornaments and the kids dive in head first, immediately fighting over who gets to put what where. I start yelling that we are going to “enjoy this moment and stop the arguing or no one is going to help me decorate the dang tree!”
I turn on Sounds from the Season to pipe in some much needed peaceful Christmas music only to be drowned out by Jer’s apparent need to watch…Monday Night Football. Ahh, nothing says Christmas like helmets crashing and announcers…well, announcing.
Desperate to gain a little control over this situation I assign each kid a job. Jack was to sort out the homemade ornaments, lovingly handcrafted by my grandmother decades earlier. Avery was to work on hanging the wooden ornaments.
This is what happened.
Adorable, yes. Practical, not so much.
And then this happened.
Jack started finding all kinds of things to throw on that tree like this tiny little stocking cap. He also managed to fit a pair of socks, Avery’s toothbrush and the dog’s collar on those branches.
I covertly began moving some of the “extra” ornaments off the tree and reorganizing the other ones he had so lovingly placed. I thought I was just about done when I looked down and realized he had followed behind me and reorganized my reorganization.
This was the point I stopped fighting the fight, sat down, put my feet up and enjoyed the scene unfolding before me. I saw a little girl enraptured by the beauty of the lights on the tree and appreciative of allthe hardwork put into each and every ornament. I saw a little boy with joy and love in his eyes as he takes in every moment of this holiday season with the pure excitement only a child can wholly embrace.
And then I saw this.
Our 2009 Christmas Tree, decorated with the love and devotion of my two kids, Jeremy and me. Monday Night Football was eventually turned off, we did drink those hot chocolates in front of the roaring fireplace and I heard all kinds of Christmas wishes.
Sounds lovely, right? It really was.
Mindy
That last pic is truly beautiful. Straight out of BH&G. 🙂
Thanks Mindee! I was going for “passable” so I’ll take your compliment and run with it. =)
Mindy
Your tree looks beautiful and the scene you described seems quite normal to me. That Hallmark crapola is for the birds or when the whole family takes Prozac maybe.
LOL “Family take Prozac”… Yeah, we gave up on Hallmark years ago. We now settle for those cheap .99 cents cards.
=)
Mindy
Olivia (10) and Julie (7) put all the ornaments on our tree. It was fun to stand back and watch them and listen to their little discussions about what was important. The best part was they put ornaments front and center that I usually put in back, or maybe on the bottom. It’s like having whole new ornaments. It’s beautiful and I didn’t have to do it all. Best of both worlds!
Well, I think your helpers were slightly more “helpful” than mine. =) I forgot to mention that Jack was beside himself that our ornaments don’t light up. When Jer tried to explain that they don’t do that he said, “Well go in the garage and get some more lights.” I can’t wait to see your tree!
Mindy
My husband has a tree that our oldest decorates with all his Home Depot ornaments. All mine are glass, so the boys don’t get to touch those. It sounds like you really enjoyed yourself, though, and that’s the point. 🙂 Glad to hear Jack got into the spirit of Christmas.
My MIL has lots of trees in her house, all with a theme, including a boy and girl tree. It’s actually a lot of fun and I’ve thought about doing that here. But, after all the work I’ve done keeping Jack from turning our tree upside down, I think I’ll wait a few years. =)
Mindy
This is a beautiful tree and such beautiful moments of chaos and peace. I love it! The ornaments always bring back memories for me too.
Ah, thanks Angelia! After stepping back and embracing the chaos, we had a wonderful time putting it together! =)
Mindy
Awwww…it sounds sweet to me. And that picture of the lit tree is beautiful!! Wait til their teens and you have to bribe them into helping decorate the tree. I have two trees…one with beautiful coordinated ornaments and then the one with the homemade ornaments. Guess which one is bigger?? You got it…we hand make new ornaments every year. It just keeps growing.
Happy Holidays!
♥Spot
I’ve thought about doing that too…having the “show” tree and then having a kid’s tree. Maybe next year when I’ve built up a whole new store of energy to deal with it. =)
Mindy
I love how he was fixing what you was messing up! Too cute!
It turned into a Hallmark moment after all!
He was pretty sure he had the most important job of all. It really was a lot of fun after I get over myself. =)
Mindy
It does sound absolutely lovely. A perfect evening and your tree looks beautiful! My best holiday wishes to you!
Marly
Thanks Marly! And the same right back to you and yours!! =)
Mindy
Aww, how cute! Just be glad it didn’t end in a trip to the ER, with someone having a cut tongue. (don’t ask! LOL)
Beautiful pictures! I love the bottom of the tree decorations. Did you eventually get some higher than 2 feet from the floor? *giggle*
Shelli…I’m strangely obsessed with knowing how someone ended up with a cut tongue…while decorating a tree.
And, yes. We did end up with a few ornaments above his arm-reach. Although, I must have magical ornaments because they migrate all over my tree. =)
Mindy
I’ll give you the ingredients to the recipe for disaster, and you’ll figure it out.
1. A “toddler” (he was 10 months but already walking)
2. Two older sisters who insisted that we decorate with every decoration conceivable.
3. A mixing of 2 separate sets of household decorations.
4. A small glass ball and a sister who got mad and threw it on the floor (carpet, didn’t break).
5. The need of toddler to taste said ornament. Did I mention he was teething?