Technicolor Day

The Tree Is (finally) Up

Wow, the 9th already. This may be the latest the tree has gone up. But it all worked out well.
Growing up, the tradition was to put up the tree very soon after Thanksgiving, maybe the Friday after, or at least Saturday or Sunday. (Depending on what after Thanksgiving sales needed to be attended.) I continued that tradition in early adulthood, and when my kids were little.
And when I was a kid, we'd always have a live tree. We'd often go pick it out and chop it down ourselves, occasionally picking it off a lot. I continued that tradition with my kids too, at first.
But a few years ago, I started changing these traditions to fit me and my kids. Not completely on purpose, but some of it was. I made the hard decision one year, to buy a fake tree. I know, I know, it's FAKE, so not as good, but I decided the one-time investment, and the not having to plan/worry about going and finding a tree each year, was worth it.
And, we made it fun. With holiday shows or music in the background, we'd put up the fake tree together, each of us 'fluffing' our 'branches' in our own unique way. To add the lights and garland, we'd circle the tree, (which starts in the middle of the room for just this purpose) all together, singing &/or laughing. When the tree was sufficiently decorated, it was scooted to it's rightful place, usually by a window. And we usually do it some evening after regular junk is done, school, work, supper, whatever. Not having to do it right away on T-day weekend. It doesn't need to take the whole day, just a couple hours.
So my parents have been gone since right around the beginning of school, on one of their volunteer/vacation trips. (mostly volunteer, a little vacation) And tonight is the night the Redheads and I have decided to do the tree. And Thirteen (and the Lincoln Boys Choir) sings tomorrow night again in the Heymarket (6:15 in front of the building Ivana Cone and Paint Yourself Silly are in) so I had invited my folks to come to that.
And, surprise! They showed up today. And came over tonight, and got to sample me and my kids' holiday tree traditions. It was very nice. We all did our decorating dance around the tree. I think my mom was more excited than Thirteen. Eleven danced with Grama for a bit, too, though she was not completely excited about his 'suess' tree branches. ;p

posted by Unknown at 9:48 PM