Trimming
the tree was quite a debacle this year. We agreed that the joy bestowed upon an
18 month old by letting her help decorate would not be worth the extra hassle. In
fact, I don’t think MJ would find any enjoyment in a 2-hour, steady stream of “honey,
no” and “DON’T TOUCH!” The result was that we didn’t start pulling out decorations until after we tucked her in and
cleaned up – sometime around 10:30pm.
We decided
to put the tree in the front window this year (our 3rd location in
as many seasons). And because I was able to string lights from the balcony to
the window above the tree, the desired effect was a “burst” of light radiating
from the star.
I made a
fresh, 90 degree cut at the bottom of the tree and stood it in the stand. Only
then did we realize that the trunk was crooked, and the tree leaned hard to the
left when upright. I was able to correct this by tilting it slightly before tightening
the base. We thought this solved our problem.
After
stringing the lights and carefully placing each ornament (12:30am), we stood
back and both agreed that the 2009 family Christmas tree was the best one yet. Mommy
went downstairs to put away some boxes and I decided to polish off a
celebratory Christmas Ale in the kitchen…when SHAM-WOW!..we heard a loud crash in
the front room. Our fully decorated tree toppled over.
The damage
was minimal. Only one broken ornament (that we cared about). Still, we were
faced with a decision: undecorate the tree and re-cut the base,
or find someway to secure the thing? We reluctantly
opted for the latter option – mainly because it was nearing 1am and I like to
cut corners. We took turns holding up the tree while thinking of a solution,
realizing all too fully that this was not only the nicest looking, but also the
prickliest tree we ever brought home. Each needle was firm to the touch and
left a rash on whatever body part was exposed (Mommy’s arm, my forehead). It
seems that Michele will have a permanent blood blister on her arm from one
needle prick.
Right
before I was able to tether the tree to the wall with some nails and bungee
rope, we heard some whimpering from the room above…and then some howling. Our Sweetie
decided to wake up at 1:30. I steadied the tree with my arms (and head) while
Mommy went upstairs to try and get MJ back to sleep…no dice. She came down and
watched Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (awesome flick, destined to become a new
family holiday staple) while we secured the tree to the wall and muttered explicatives
to ourselves.
In the end,
she helped decorate the tree after all! I guess that’s karma for excluding our
little one from a very important holiday tradition. Decorating end time: 2:45am.The tree stood the entire
season, even after I forgot to water it for a week
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