It’s that time of year

Guess what we did the day after Thanksgiving?

We drove by a tree lot just blocks from our house and I was sucked in. I can’t help it- I love Christmas and I was all too eager to begin the holiday festivities so I couldn’t resist getting a tree right away. Plus, our tree purchase helps support a local boy scout troop and I always feel great when my money goes to something good.

Brendan had a super good time playing with all the ornaments and I tried not to be one of those moms who doesn’t let her kids touch things for fear of something being broken. Brendan is very skilled at breaking things and some of my ornaments are old, ones that I’ve had since I was a baby, and some are from my brother Brian’s ornament collection and I would be devastated if any of them were broken. So I compromised and put all the ones that are completely off-limits towards the top of the tree and out of reach for an almost-three-year-old. The ornaments at his level are a little more sturdy and can withstand being dropped a few dozen times a day.

 

It’s a good thing that one of Chris’s favorite ornaments, the Pickle, is not breakable.  We have a family tradition of picking out a new ornament every year, one for each of us, to remember the year by. This is something that my family has been doing since before I was born and I’m happy to carry on the tradition. The Pickle was Chris’s first ornament that he picked out after we were married.  His Grandma Johnson would always have a pickle on the tree and the first to find it got to have bragging rights. His Grandpa Russell also used to always put a large pickle in the “Grab Bag” of presents for a special treat to whomever pulled it out of the bag. I think it’s a fitting way to remember both sides of his family. Brendan gets a kick out of pretending to eat it.

 

 

 

Although he likes the pickle, it’s lost some of its appeal now. Brendan’s favorite ornaments are currently his little tin airplane, a small wooden car, a red motorcycle, a wooden rocking horse and an oversized painted jingle bell.

And here she is in all her glory:

I even found a tree skirt for 60% off (thank you Black Friday) and am happy with the way it looks. Even more, I love the spirit that it brings to our home, reminding us that this is a special time of year. Every night Brendan requests that we turn off all the overhead lights and just have some mood lighting from the tree, and it’s such a lovely way to spend a few quiet moments next to our tree.