The 2012 Trees

It was a labor of love last weekend (or I'd like to imagine) as we put up six Christmas trees in our house. Why so many? I don't know. Of all the Christmas traditions, decorating the tree is probably my favorite. And if one tree is good, six trees must be great, right? Holiday cheer knows no bounds...

I had a lot of help, with thanks mainly going to out to Brian and Jay. I'm happy to report that Scotty was less of a liability this year and offered a tiny bit of assistance, but more on that later. But I really have to recommend the strength of two adult males, because I don't think I could have lifted the box of the nine-foot tree by myself, let alone had the energy for the other five. Not to mention, removing the boxes from the overhead garage shelving causes me a great deal of vertigo so the two guys were worth their weight in gold. Aside from the sheer muscle, watching two Georgetown Law alums debate and negotiate how to best and most effectively string the lights was a comedy show in and of itself. They brought out pencils, did calculations, there was heated arguments on both sides...it was great. Never had Christmas decorations been so thoughtfully handled.

With that said, here we go...

Tree #1: The Formal Tree. This one is the "fancy" tree with the breakable ornaments. It sits in the window of the living room and lights up the whole area. I love it. But don't touch it. Ever. Don't even get close to it. 

Tree #2: The Nostalgic Tree.  Complete with ornaments filled with pictures, some used to belong to my grandma, and others just that evoke happy memories, this tree is definitely my favorite.  Though it's not necessarily the prettiest, it's the warmest.

Tree #3: The Packer Tree. We kept it up all year and stored it in Scotty's loft, so it's a little worse for wear. Kinda like the Packers themselves. Sorry, Brian.

Trees #4 & 5:  The Late-Addition Trees. Maybe you'd call this cheating, but these trees were an impulse buy at Target and do not have ornaments. They are more modern and don't really fit with our traditional decor, but they were so cute - and so easy to put up - that I had to buy them. $20 each and set up was all of 4 minutes. Whimsical AND practical - and so soarkly. Mmm, sparkle.

And finally...

Tree #6: The Bear's Tree. This tree was also a last minute addition, but it's the one I'm most proud of. I don't know what sparked the idea, but we decided that Scotty needed his own tree this year. We told him he could buy one, and so the four of us set off for Target early Saturday morning after filling our faces with doughnuts and coffee.

I decided to take the idea one step further and suggest Scotty pick out everything himself - the tree, the garland, the lights, and the first ornament. I figured he could put the inevitable homemade school ornaments on this tree - I have a feeling there will be many - and feel like he has a stake in this whole holiday season, too.

We've never really given a three-year old carte blanche in the holiday section before, but I highly, highly recommend it. What they come up with will surprise you.

Scotty picked out a pre-lit three footer with colored lights, green and red garland, a non-lit star topper, and a silver tree skirt. He complimented it with plastic Santa lights and a tiny metal helicopter ornament.

I'll be honest - these adornments would not have been my first choice. They would not have even been second, third, fourth, or twenty-seventh. But you know, the kid adores this tree. He demands we turn it on every morning and then gently hugs it good night every night. I'm planning to leave a little surprise in the form of one Matchbox car under the tree each morning from Santa to get him excited about the big day each day in December.

So while I look at those plastic Santa lights and shudder silently, I can honestly say, there is nothing more magical than looking at Christmas trees through the eyes of a child.

Happy (almost) December, folks!