Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We went and got our tree yesterday, and in the afternoon, the children helped me decorate.  To say they were excited is a huge understatement.  They could hardly contain themselves as I opened boxes of ornaments.  I could hardly contain myself as ornaments, garland, and beads were strewn about the living room, mostly not on the tree.  Fortunately (?) their interested waned quickly when the tedium of actually having to hang things on the tree and not play with them became the focus (well, it was always my focus, and I steered them in that direction).

 

Brandt found a container of bells and hung eight of them on two branches right next to each other.

Blythe found a paper mache reindeer and when she couldn't get it hung, ripped off its antlers in frustration.

Here is what the tree looked like when the children lost interest.

And here is what the tree looked like when finished (at 10:15pm).

It is probably hard to tell the difference from the picture.

I love to decorate the Christmas tree.  I love getting out the ornaments and thinking about where they came from.  Many of our ornaments were given to us.  My Grandma Barnes made many felt be-sequined ornaments that I love and cherish all the more as I made a few before Brandt was born and discovered they are incredibly time-consuming to make.  Grandma made lots and lots of them and I look at each as an act of love.  I received several ornaments as wedding shower gifts and so those have been with us, as a couple/family, from the beginning.  We have collected some during travels (balls from India, Cloisonne stars from China), and other have been gifts from friends and neighbors.  I enjoy thinking about those people and experiences as I decorate the tree and knowing those good thoughts will remain with me through the Christmas season each time I look at the tree.  This year I found crocheted snowflakes in one of Grandma Hare's boxes in the basement, and love the way they look on the tree, all lacy and vintage-y.  They are a nice, new/old touch.

And so now the house is decorated (finished on December 1st), my shopping is almost done, and I can begin crafting with the children.  We have three small artificial trees on the other side of the piano from the big tree that I am going to have the children decorate with ornaments we make through the month.  I have a fun ornament making activity to go along with our family home evening for Monday night--I can hardly wait.  

Yeah!  It's Christmas!