Deck the Halls, Y'all

I feel so grown up. You would think that birthing then caring for a child accomplished that, but as any quick scan of daytime talk show television will illustrate, parenthood does not necessarily equal adulthood. No, my new sense of maturity comes courtesy of my very first Christmas tree.

Glenn and I have never had our own tree, and this year we figured it was high time for one. I made a few stops at Garden Ridge and Target, picking up the requisite balls, lights, topper, and these beautiful ceramic acorns and tiny birds. I was so proud of myself, having purchased everything on sale, and felt certain that a nice tree would cost around fifty dollars. We can do this Christmas decorating thing, I tell myself.

Well, I quickly realized that we also needed a stand, a skirt, stockings, and holders. Hm. With those additional items purchased, I returned home, pleased with my haul. Glenn had planned on surprising us with a tree, but with his schedule, it's hard to be stealthy. He left to "run some errands" and within an hour, he returned with a nice six to eight foot Douglas Fir.

As you probably know, trees cost more than fifty dollars. You may also know that they shed like a Husky in the springtime. We were so naïve, we were genuinely surprised at the range in cost of the trees at the lot, and the tree made the longest possible route through the entire house bypassing only the bedrooms and bathrooms on its path to its final resting place. I should mention that it sits no more than ten feet from the front door, which will be how the tree will make its exit.

After watering and sweeping up after the thing constantly, I sort of understand why people buy fake trees. Sort of. The living room smells so wonderful, and even the best fake trees don't come close to the dense loveliness of a good tree. (Rather, I should say a decent tree, as we had to buy the Pinto of the tree lot.) And, I shouldn't forget to mention that Lily is mesmerized by the tree.

As I type, she is on the floor, repeatedly rolling off of her mat and under the tree's branches. It's great, because throughout the day she will forget the tree is there, and I love catching her face when she sees it. Lily even has her own pink tinsel tree that Honey bought her, and she finds it equally interesting. I have more on holiday preparations, but it occurs to me that I need to check the little one for pine needles.