Our first tree was 3' tall and purchased outside a drug store in Santa Clara, CA. Since then we have had 12 Christmas trees and added 2 children to our family. Some of the funniest stories of our marriage surround getting our Christmas tree. In the beginning, it always seemed to be an adventure.
Year A: I watched my husband whittle the trunk of tree down with his chainsaw [in the dark and pouring rain] so that it would fit into our tree stand.
Year B: We took our 18 month old to a tree farm to cut down our own tree. After walking through knee deep mud and our little one taking a face plant, we looked at each other and agreed, without words, to abort mission. We grabbed a tree from a lot on the way home.
Year C: Our favorite nursery nailed our tree stand on for us. When we got it home, the tree had a considerable lean. We piled coasters under one side of the stand to even it out. A slight breeze would have blown that tree over.
I have considered getting an artificial tree, but where's the fun in that? We actually have it down to a science now. Chalk that up to a little experience. Our requirements: a dry day, all 4 family members in attendance, the same local nursery, a larger tree stand, and a quick check to see if the tree stands straight - before it's loaded onto the car.
Lucky us, we found a pretty darn good-looking noble fir this year [no chainsaw required].
Step 1: get tree. check.
Step 2: add ornaments.
{clockwise from top left}1. The original ornaments. Purchased in 2000 for $2.99 for our very first tree. Only a few remain, but I can't leave them off.
2. An ornament engraved with my name. For the last 37 years, it has been on my grandmother's tree [along with all of my cousin's ornaments]. This is our first Christmas without her. I lovingly hung it on my tree this year.
3. iheartny. A little ornament to remind me of an amazing trip to New York City last December.
4. A bag of plastic ornaments purchased at Home Depot. In 2007, I had a baby on the move and needed ornaments on the tree that wouldn't break [or kill him if he bit one]. Certainly not designer, but we put them on our tree every year. It makes my heart full remembering my boys as babies.
Me too!
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