O Christmas Tree

We went Christmas Tree shopping the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Talk about getting a jump on things! We don't normally get a tree so early in the holiday season but we were all chomping at the bit...and it was 70 degrees outside! What a perfect way to spend a warm winters day! We went to our normal spot behind Pop's Diner on Hwy 17 to pick out our tree.

I just adore how excited Jonathan gets at Christmas time!

Gabe and Eden spotted a beautiful tree the second we arrived but we decided we would check out everything else before we made a decision. The kids spent the next 20 minutes running around chasing each other as Jonathan and I searched for the perfect tree! We finally managed to wrangle them just long enough for a quick pose in front of our 2011 Christmas Tree!

After a nice gentleman loaded our tree on top of the car we drove off toward home so we could start decorating the house. You should have seen me trying to help Jonathan get the tree down from the Highlander...next year...I think I'll use a ladder. We brought the tree inside and spent about half an hour trying to get the cotton-pickin' thing in the tree stand correctly. Turns out our buddy at the tree place didn't cut the bottom of the tree level so we had some major Leaning Tower of Tree-sa going on. But pushing forward we made it work and moved on to the rest of the decorating.

By Sunday the branches had fallen just enough to make stringing lights possible...but still a royal pain in the buttocks. We fixed the thing up and plugged it in. GORGEOUS! There's something about Christmas lights that really makes me happy - well except the putting them up part.

Uncle Jason and Aunt Madelyn came over for Sunday dinner and helped us decorate the tree and when we were finished...it was breath taking! Probably the prettiest tree we've had yet. Decorated to perfection, lights in just the right places, but the DANG thing was still leaning! We rigged it up a couple more times...tightening the screws into the trunk, leaning it back more than normal to try to compensate for the handicap. STILL LEEAANNNNGGG! Oh well...maybe nobody will notice, right?

Monday morning, 4:30 a.m., the alarm goes off and Jonathan and I get up to start the day. Monday's are rough anyway, but they are even worse when they start off with the realization that during the night your amazingly beautiful, breath taking tree has fallen over during the night. Oh yes! And let me tell you - this thing did NOT go down without a fight...smashing & shattering my favorite Pier One decorative plate, breaking a few ornaments and making the biggest mess a Christmas tree could ever manage to make...the thing went down!

Leaving the mess for later in the day, (honestly I was just too mad and heart broken to go anywhere near the thing) the kids and I got dressed and went about our day. Off to work...off to school.

Sparing you the details, let me just tell you that Monday was a rough day for Mommy. I couldn't wait to get home to my family. I walked in the door with a sigh, glance to the left and what do I see? A midget Christmas tree! My super sweet husband spent about an hour picking up the mess our tree made, gathering all of the strewn about ornaments and taking the chainsaw out to cut the bottom of the tree properly to prevent any future tipping. Leaving our tree a good 9 inches shorter than before. (Please give me a moment while I weep)

At the end of the day I suppose size doesn't matter - the tree was a bit shorter but everything was back in order and looked nice. I can't bring myself to post pictures right now, as I need some time to mourn, however...you'll see Christmas posts soon!