O Christmas Tree

The tree is up!

Finally. It only took four days.

Life has been the usual crazy, but trying to decorate with two little ones is definitely a challenge. Couple that with the fact that I haven't been feeling great and there's no time at all. While I might normally do this task after the kids are in bed, I've been going to bed earlier myself, which leave little time for "extra" tasks like this!

I took the tree out Wednesday afternoon, when Big Girl was at her religion class and the twins were at my parents. I only had about an hour to get it out, figure out where to put it (I was hoping for a different spot this year, but alas, there was not enough room), and get it working. This is our second year with a faux tree, and I actually really like it. Don't get me wrong, I love real trees -- or shall I say I loved the process of going to get the real tree -- but after that moment of cutting down the tree, not so much. I don't like watering and the needles and the sap and the uncontrollable mess and my allergies. I do like the smell, however. I actually thinking of getting something pine-scented to put in the house right now just to please my husband who is the most upset that we don't have a real tree.

I think our fake tree looks pretty real -- it's the entire reason I chose it. Well that, and the fact it has 1,000 lights on it. I like lights, and I wasn't skimping if possible. Our fake tree is made by GE and I found it last year at Home Depot. If we use it for 5 years, it will pay for itself when I compare to what we paid each year for a real tree.

Bunny Twin in front of the mostly-undecorated tree last week.
She is my little firecracker!
(And see those branches? I swear they look pretty real.)

The tree was up and undecorated until the weekend. I started pulling out our holiday bins, and bit by bit, sifted quickly through them and pulled out the least breakable things I could find. My pretty, beloved glass ornament collection will remain in storage this year. I can't trust the twins to keep their hands off the tree this year, no matter how many reminders I give them. So I pulled every ornament I could find that would survive the Wonder Twins -- ornaments from our playroom tree, which will also remain in storage this year; ornaments that are made of felt, plastic, wood... Amazingly I was able to find enough to fill our tree adequately. (Which tells me one thing: I have WAY too many ornaments :) Instead of my beaded glass garlands -- which would definitely attract little hands! -- I sifted through the wrapping bin for some polka dot wired ribbon.

All in all, it's a more homespun look this year, with lots of red and white, but I actually really like it. And I'm not afraid that toddlers will destroy it.

Our holiday decorations are scaled down this year, but it's OK. It still looks festive here!