Tree

The kids will be here tomorrow to decorate.

Tree Plans

My step son suggested that this year’s Christmas tree should come from a Christmas tree farm where we actually cut it down ourselves.

We are doing it tomorrow morning. Then the kids go to their dad’s. On Sunday, just before they head back to school, they will pop over here to decorate the tree.

I would still rather get into the month of December before putting up the Christmas tree, but given the scheduling difficulties this year I’m going along without snarky comments. Or at least with a minimum of snarky. Insert shit eating grin here.

HoHoHo and all that.

Good Night

Jerk

Christmas Trees are Assholes

How awesome are Christmas trees?

None. That’s how awesome they are. None awesome.

We bought a big tree. Bigger than usual. Partly because we waited an extra week or so to go tree shopping and the pickings were a little slim. Also though, it was a really nice tree.

We bought it on Saturday, and the kids and I put it onto the stand right away. We decorated it on Sunday, and everything was well. About an hour after we finished it fell over. It hit the bay window but didn’t punch through. The tree stand though. Toast. One of the legs was bent completely into the wrong direction. the upper ring was snapped off. It was a bad fall.

I got the tree back up by precariously balancing it on what was left of the stand. Jen ran out to buy a newer, better, stronger stand while the kids and I took off all the decorations that we’d just put on. When the new stand arrived the kids and I started from scratch and put everything back together.

I think that the decorations looked better before the fall, but that might just be because the tree is a total asshole. I’m just waiting for it to fall over again. What a jerk, right?

Tree Time

The law states that the owl ornament must be the second highest object on the tree, after the star. This year I actually hung the owl from the star.

Christmas: Temporary Delay

We were all set to go tree shopping last night. We have a fake Christmas tree in the cellar but someone who shall remain nameless (me) suggested that maybe this year we skip the fake tree and get a real one. Everyone agreed.

Jen wanted to get a tree last weekend, but I didn’t. It wasn’t a kid weekend, and I wanted the kids to have a say in whatever tree we end up with. Last night was the first kid night we’ve had since then, so we were going to go last night. I even brought up the tree stand from the cellar and moved the furniture around.

Unfortunately, Jen had work to do after dinner and one of the kids still had a little homework. Jen suggested I take the kids and go without her, but that would be just as bad as going last weekend would have been. We can’t go tonight because two of us don’t get home until late. We can’t go Friday because one of the kids has a school function and two of us won’t be home until late. Saturday is our next opportunity so I nervously threw it out as a suggestion, expecting to hear complains and you-hate-Christmas accusations (which wouldn’t be all that inaccurate).

Nope. I got an I-don’t-want-to-go-without-mum from one kid, and an we-can-go-in-the-daylight from Jen. The other kid just agreed with me. Nice! I promise I’m not sabotaging Christmas by pushing things off. Really. This isn’t selfish anti-holiday behavior. This was really for the best.

HoHoHo!

Christmas Through the Years

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Owl has been the highest ornament on every tree since 1977.

2012

And Owl too.

2013

And Owl too.

2014

And Owl too.

Eight years worth of trees from three houses. One for each year that my wife and I have been together. I cannot tell you how lucky I am that she and her kids have let me be a part of their family. No one is more blessed than I.