OK, the Christmas posts will have to be broken into two and approprately so. The first phase is always exciting, the getting and decorating of the tree. While I will delve into the getting of the tree I will leave the decorating of the tree to your imagination. Just imagine Keith on the couch watching football, Alaina placing two (or five) ornaments per branch, and Conner sitting by the tray of crackers and cheese, eating his weight in food.
Not sure how it started but our tradition has been to go to the Lowe's home improvement store the Saturday after Thanksgiving and get our tree there. I think the tradition started out of frugality and continues for the same reasons to this day. You can get a tree for around forty bucks. This year, due to Zane, things were a little different. We didn't make it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I think it was because a child was melting down, but we did make it to the Lowe's the Monday after Thanksgiving ready to fulfill this years tree picking. We always start by parusing the aisles for Christmas lights in that year's color. (Keith grew up with colored lights, I grew up with white lights, so naturally, we agreed to alternate) This year it was Keith's year for ugly colored lights so we bought a few boxes because we always forget to check to see if we actually NEED more lights which results in....well, you guessed it....owning bins and bins of lights.
Next, it is off to the Christmas tree
"lot" to find the perfect tree, where Keith takes his job seriously,
carefully and meticulously inspecting each tree for quality and size.
Meanwhile, the kids are hard at work helping out, doing what they can to identify the best tree.
Yeah, thanks guys.
Like I said, this tradition started years ago. The first record I could find of it was this year.
First of all, yes Keith is wearing the same orange vest. Apparently, that is part of the tradition too. This picture was taken in November of 2006.
We always pick out our tree, drag it to the front to be cut and then carry it out and tie it on the roof, hoping that it will stay there for the short ride home. Her is Conner in 2007.
Again in 2008.
And again in 2009.
Every year, we followed the same procedure and even had the same checkout cashier for three years (shout out to Arlene!).
Now as far as 2010, I forgot the camera and in 2011, I was pregnant and (most likely) grumpy, so no pics from those years, but......back to 2012.
Several years it was the first tree we picked up, this year it was the third. Conner and Alaina were nice enough to take a break from their joy riding on the pull carts to come and approve of our selection.
So off, we hauled it to the front for the cutting and then out to the parking lot for tying it to the top of the van. This year, Alaina joined in the roof top picture and just to prove he was there. There is Zane. Oh, and I guess the kids feel pretty cool and "tough" being all wild and rebellious on the top of a car. Check out those faces and postures!
It is then that we head home, only to meet the challenge of two adults getting the tree properly placed in the unsteady tree stand while tree sap spread on our hands and clothes, tree needles are scattered throughout the house and children run around in circles out of excitement, frustrating the adults efforts to communicate about getting the tree in the tree stand! Good times.
All of it is worth it since it allows other sweet traditions to ensue, like the annual picture in front of the tree. (prior to 2006 we did not have a digital camera so we have to start there)
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
This was the year I was pregnant, just finishing the first trimester where I was sick and all I wanted to do and DID do was sit on the couch and eat Cheez-its. This is seriously the only picture I have from that year's tree tradition.
HA!
With that I leave you in anticipation for Christmas 2012 Part 2!
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