When I mentioned our Christmas tree a month ago, it was half-strung with lights, and that was it. I'm happy to report that we got the rest of the lights strung and the ornaments hung (with care, no less, which is no small feat when you have two young boys!).
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| Peter is the expert light stringer. (Don't you love his glowing belly?) |
There was a little problem with a fallen star at first...
But it stood straight and tall for the rest of the month once it was positioned correctly.
This was the first time we got a tree right after Thanksgiving (we've always gotten it the first weekend of December) so I didn't know how well the tree would last, but it had good endurance and didn't let us down. I love the sweet smell of fresh pine in the house throughout the month!
I also love turning the lights on the tree at night (and on cloudy days, and as soon as it starts to get dark outside. I love lights!). When the other lights in the room are off, it feels especially magical. Reading by the light of the Christmas tree is one of my favorite things about the season.
The tree is the star of the show on Christmas Eve night, when it looks after all the presents nestled underneath its branches and waits for excited children to gravitate to it in the morning.
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| Christmas Eve, after Santa visited our house! |
Today we're taking the tree down and bringing it to its final resting place in the gully behind our backyard. It always makes me a little sad to take down the ornaments and lights and then cast the lovely bright tree that brought joy to our home for a month into the cold winter weather of January. But the happy memories it brought will keep our hearts warm. (I know that sounds pretty corny...but I had to end on a high note!).
