Tom and I agree that our Christmas tree is…fine.
It’s small, droopy, a little wonky, and full of mismatched ornaments. But it’s definitely better than last year when we didn’t have a tree at all.
We started with good intentions. Tom brought the tree home on a Tuesday night and started stringing the lights. He even looked up Martha Stewart’s instructions for how to put lights on a tree.
David and I watched him work and I introduced David to his favorite Christmas tradition so far: “Special Christmas drink”
Also known as eggnog.
At what point do we finally sit David down and tell him, This isn’t actually called special Christmas drink. It’s eggnog. Yeah, it’s a gross name but it’s practically a milkshake so it’s worth it.
And by the way, it’s called the TV, not Elmo. And Mommy’s water? It’s actually usually coffee. Or wine.
Anyway.
Back to the tree.
When I left off Tom was stringing lights with Martha Stewart. And everyone knows Martha Stewart’s “you can do this it’s so easy!” is nothing but a pack of lies. lies knows, it’s not so easy. After an hour of tug of war with the lights there was a mountain of pine needles on the floor, and the lights were…fine. Some parts looked perfect and even, and others were empty with strands hanging off the branch. But it was fine. So we called it done and went to bed.
On Saturday the SEC Championship was on TV, there was ice in the forecast and we were all home long enough to finish decorating.
David was really excited about decorating. What a good helper.
You can see the glow of the game behind the tree. Just like at the first Christmas.
David would get frustrated when the ornaments wouldn’t stay where he put them, or when I tried to help him. But mostly he just had a really, really good time.
Mary Virginia helped, too, in the only way a 6-month old can help: by playing on the floor and not demanding to be held.
Eventually David’s frustration won out and he just started piling ornaments in the tree. Because time is money and who has time to hang ornaments by a hook.
Then he got bored and quit.
While I finished decorating, Daddy helped in the way daddies help best: by wrestling with the kids on the couch.
Now that the tree is up David spends a lot of time taking ornaments off the tree.
David: I have this one?
Me: No, do not take any ornaments off the tree.
David: I have heart?
Me: No, you may not play with the heart. Do not take any ornaments off the tree.
David: I have ball?
Me: No, that’s an ornament. You can’t play with any of the ornament.
David: I have this penguin?
Me: No, David.
David: I have this star?
David has already broken two ornaments, and neither was breakable. So, though we have a tree, my favorite, beautiful, breakable ornaments are safely in their boxes. My 12 days of Christmas ornaments, the ornament for our first Christmas together. Even my cheap glass balls are still in their box. I got them down, and David grabbed one and tried to hammer it into his ball maze.
That actually makes three broken ornaments.
Last year Tom’s mom gave us a bag of ornaments Tom made as a kid. So instead of my beautiful, heirloom ornaments, our tree is an homage to Tom’s childhood craftiness. A cupcake ball. A sled from 1990.
It’s a bit wonky. It’s a bit droopy and mismatched. But it’s fun and festive, so I’m counting it as a success.
We have that exact same sled! But I think mine says 1997.
Ahem. Yes to the rest of your post. This year was our “Stuffed animal tree” year. Meg is reasonably careful, but even so she spends a lot of time clapping the zebra’s hooves together.
My mom would be so happy with this tree. Also that cupcake ornament is boss. Maybe Tom should open an etsy shop of his own.
The bottom 1/3 of our tree is perpetually un-decorated. xo