O Christmas Tree!

My intention was to have our house decorated for Christmas by Thanksgiving weekend.

Needless to say, that did not happen. I was so devastated by our inability to decorate, I posted my distress on Facebook and told anyone who would listen. I'm not sure why I was so upset, but it really bothered me. Daddy learned firsthand how upset I was. I wouldn't stop telling him!

So, tonight, after Gracie and Lukie were finished with dinner, I asked them if they wanted to help Mommy put the tree together. They enthusiastically said, "Yes, Momma!" I don't think they truly understood what I was saying, but they were excited, none the less. I talked them into baths first, so we cleaned them up, put on their footie pajamas and we came into the living room to get started.

Our tree is an "older" fake tree. I am allergic to pine needles, so 6 years ago or so, we bought a fake tree. Unfortunately, we bought it the year before the amazing pre-lit trees were introduced. Instead of being 3 pieces to put together, our tree is 68 pieces. I enlisted Gracie and Luke to "fluff" each of the branches so that they looked "real." They lasted for all of 3 branches before they started using the tree trunk as a Merry-Go-Round. Taking the hint, I turned on How the Grinch Stole Christmas and they were mesmerized. Daddy helped me with the branches and we managed to finish putting it together at the same time the Grinch ended. So off to bed they went. They were both exhausted and it wasn't long before they were asleep.

As I sit here, there are lights on the tree and about 20 ornaments. Most of them are new for us this year. Each of them has a story.

These ornaments are from Pottery Barn and were purchased with a gift certificate one of my students gave me before Gracie and Luke were born. Can you believe that I still had all of the money on the g/c more than 2 years later?

Gracie and Lukie picked out all five of these ornaments. They gently carried them to the counter to pay for them. I'll have that memory in my head forever.

We also have some ornaments I bought for specific memories:

One to put Gracie and Lukie's names on.

A cow to remember how obsessed Gracie and Luke have been with them this year.

A dalmatian to remember our first Christmas back home after last year's fire.

And then, there is this one.
I bought it after the other football ornament I chose broke before I could pay for it.
This one broke in the bag on the way home.

If you notice, he seems to have had the same leg amputated as Daddy.
This kept Daddy laughing for a half an hour.

He made me throw the leg away and let Football Santa being just like Daddy! I'm glad we could laugh and regain some of my Christmas enthusiasm.

Tomorrow, I'm going to see if Gracie and Luke will help me put some more ornaments on the tree and, then, we'll try lights outside! I'm so excited!