The day after Thanksgiving, the girls talked me into getting out the Christmas stuff a little earlier than usual. We set up our nativity sets, hung up the stockings and decorated everything except for the tree (because we didn't have one!). We usually get a live tree, and then Mike takes care of everything -- he trims the trunk, gets the tree level in the stand, cuts any stray branches, fills the stand with water, puts on the lights... I wasn't looking forward to doing all that in addition to finding, bringing home, and wrestling with a live tree this year on my own, with four kids in tow.
OK, I was dreading it!
Have I mentioned how much we LOVE our neighbors? :) They called last week and offered me one of their artificial trees. I was seriously considering having the kids make a tree out of their handprints cut out of green construction paper, so I think it is fair to say that Mark and Mary might have just saved our Christmas! Well, maybe not our whole Christmas, but at the very least they saved our tradition of decorating the tree!
While the kids finished eating lunch, I set up the tree. During nap time I put the lights on (I have gained a new appreciation for Mike doing it every year!), and I had enough time to put up some lighted garlands on the front porch, too. After the girls got up, we put the ornaments on the tree while Isaak finished his nap.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
