How to cut and decorate your tree, Family O style:
STEP 1: Make sure it's raining.
STEP 2: Wear a cowboy hat with its very own cowboy hat raincoat.
STEP 3: On your way to purchase the tree, try to tell your children they can't pet the pygmy goats.
STEP 4: After much excitement, sit in Santa's lap and become tongue-tied (or in Baby O's case, just scream).
STEP 5: Have your five year old help you string the lights and hang up your collection of blown glass Christmas ornaments. I had prepared myself to lose a few, but much to my surprise they all survived the trip from box to branch.
STEP 6: Place your mobile toddler in a 'rectangle of neglect'.
STEP 7: Admire the finished product. Total time: 10 hours from start to finish including lunch, snacks and naps.
STEP 8: Move onto bigger and better things like cardboard box cars.
Awhh, wasn't that the coolest thing? The kids get to pick their own tree? Those moments are truly priceless!
ReplyDeleteYou had me at Step 1: Make sure it's raining. Isn't that the truth. We had really good intentions of having some form of a tree before we went to Christmas at my brothers. But we haven't so much as gotten a branch. It's been dumping and howling. And I'm a foul weather wimp.
ReplyDeleteYou know I have a soft spot for the rectangle of neglect. How are your glass blown ornaments surviving Baby O?? How in the world are you able to baby proof the tree itself? You don't still have the baby in the cage, do you? Please tell me you don't....
You are the queen of creativity. Let's hear it for boxcars. Especially on these raaaainy days.
In my haste of trying to do this post quickly with all we had going on last week, I forgot to put a couple of more steps: 1. dry your tree with a box fan in the garage for a full two hours before you can even think about bringing it in the house and absolutely DO NOT even think about having your five year old helping you string the lights. We have these ancient lights that I swear I tested and worked fine before stringing them onto the tree, and when I was finally finished, we discovered that they were not working. A trip to Fred Meyer ensued and it happened to be on their special sale day....etc...etc...Once I finally found a parking space, I discovered that they no longer sell replacement lights for our lights from the 1980's and had to buy all new LED lights that were twice as expensive. Whew. What a day that was. All good-we at least I shopped local and can say I have a green tree.
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as Baby O is concerned....the tree is in a small room enclosed in french glass doors-so he does get to at least view the tree from a distance...hmmm...I think I have an idea for a new post....new words to the 'from a distance song'....it would go something like this: From a distance, the tree looks red and green....