Obligatory Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas.  I love this time of year in general, for the most part.  There's something about the holidays that just makes my heart smile and my checking account cry in agony.  But, there are certain things I dread.  For instance, when my husband excitedly asked a couple of weeks ago, "When are we going to get our Christmas tree?"

Personally, if I didn't have children who deserved all of the festive holiday traditions, I probably wouldn't even have a tree.  My husband, on the contrary, would like to have multiple trees.  But, when I think of the Christmas tree, I panic.  It's not just having a Christmas tree like it was when I was a child.  It means going to the Boy Scout stand in 10 degree weather to pick out a tree that will never pan out to be as magnificent as a person would hope.  The branches are too clumped together, or they aren't even, etc.  You give them your $50 and haul away what you pray looks better than Charlie Brown's once you get it home.  Then, I have to go to the basement and search for hours for the tree stand, all the while rationalizing how much easier it would be to just go buy a new one.  Then comes the fun part - you get to spend the next four hours trying to get the tree to sit perfectly in the stand.  "A little more to the left.  No, now an inch back to the right.  Okay, half an inch back to the left.  Perfect."  Doug tightens down the bolts.  "No, now you tightened it and it's leaning to the left again..."  At this point, we're both ready to throw the tree out the window and just have Santa leave the presents under the coffee table.  I had no enthusiasm about this event to begin with and he's lost all of his child-like vigor.  But, the tree is finally straight.  Now, we wait.  And we wait.  And all the while we wait for the tree to "drop" (or whatever the correct term is), Cole repeatedly asks, "Is it time to put the lights on now?!?!"  In all actuality, yes, we'd probably waited long enough to go ahead with the trimming of the tree, but I am just far too lazy to assume the task of finding and bringing up all the lights and decorations.  Again...wouldn't it just be easier to buy new ones?  But, inevitably, we decided that the tree needs to be decorated eventually, so I begin to haul up the boxes.

At this point, as we begin to put on the lights and garland and ornaments, no one else does it correctly.  I don't put the hooks in the ornaments right, Doug doesn't space them out properly and we're both just praying Cole doesn't break them as Hunter sleeps soundly in his bouncer.  Eventually, the boys are done and I can go in for damage control.  I rearrange the ornaments and make sure everything is "perfect".  Or, good enough to look like we actually tried.  For two years running, we've had no tree topper, so this year, I bought a star.  Doug places the star atop the tree and we are done.  But, wait...we have no tree skirt.  Again.

As many people know, I have some really great ideas.  But, they're just that - ideas.  I either try to make them happen and they don't pan out.  Or, I just give up before even trying.  Or, we just realize that it'll never work.  But, this year, I determined to make my idea happen, and happen well.  I want to buy a piece of material and red and green paint.  I'd then like to start a tradition of doing the boys hand prints on this piece of fabric every year and using it as our tree skirt.  I'm just not sure what kind of fabric I need, nor what kind of paint.  I'm also concerned with how well Hunter's going to take to flattening his fists.  Although, I suppose if that doesn't work, I could always do his foot this once.  Any ideas?

So, in conclusion, my house is as Christmas-ready as it's going to get, less the tree skirt.  Merry Christmas.

Oh, and did I mention that our tree will be up until the point that it's dead in its stand because we're equally as unenthusiastic about taking everything down?!?!