Christmas Trees...love and hate affair!

So, I am beginning to understand why people stick with their pre-lit artificial trees. They are easier, you don't need husbands to hoist a tree on top of cars, hold them up while you examine it from every angle, or put your tree in a stand without having it lean to one side.

Last year, I went through an ordeal picking out a tree solo. This year there were no excuses...no law school, older kids, nothing that would keep Rob from being front and center in our holiday traditions. Well, this year was not going as planned. We finally went to get a tree at a local stand where we heard there were reasonable prices. While there, Rob makes it painfully clear that I am not choosing quickly enough and Luke and Carys are running up and down the tree aisles and even knocked over a tree! My patience began to run thin. We didn't find our tree and we were so frustrated with the kids we cancelled tree shopping. Luke was devastated and apologized, begged, and pleaded for one more chance saying, "I was just sooo excited I couldn't stay still!" I caved and we headed to Home Depot. We found what we thought was our tree. Luke claimed it and was so proud. You can imagine his disappointment when I put the tree up in our front room and it was too small/short, and very sparse on the bottom with light shining through it. I guess that is what you get when you pick out a tree when you are freezing, with no help, and it was dark. I was sick. OK. Maybe you are thinking, "Julie, why are you so dramatic?" Or maybe you are saying what my husband says, "What's the big deal about decorating the tree or picking out the greatest tree?" My personal favorite was, "what do you know about pine trees, you are from Miami!"(I apologize to all you readers who are now as offended as I was j/k) My response? UH...only that it is the center point of Christmas in our home decor! Only that it is a HUGE symbol and family activity at Christmas. How about this one...only that I love Christmas trees. They make ME happy when I see them and every evening during this holiday when my tree is lit and smelling up my home, I feel wonderful. So, he called Home Depot the next day and we took it back. I know I am neurotic. Home Depot will sell it and they were willing to take it back. Our choosing attitudes were much happier and we settled on a bigger one and it looked much better. The tree trimming was a lot of fun too! Rob says it is a good mix of our tastes. According to him I like a really pruned triangular tree (obviously from Miami and not from the mountainous Utah) and he likes them more like they were cute down off a mountain. Whatever, I don't see it, but if he is showing Christmas spirit and interested in the tree, I will take it. :) So, now it feels like Christmas even if the tree isn't perfect and I am even baking! Just a side note--The kids were little ornament experts this year. It was so fun to watch them strategically place ornaments where they thought they would best fit (even if they shared a branch). It was fun to have Coursey here to decorate too...made me feel like a kid again in some ways. It has been a long time since we've done that together.

Why are they so sad looking, I don't know...perhaps they are sick of pictures by the tree!

Please ignore our unfinished stripe on the top of the wall...it will be white one of these days. :) But, hey those green stripes look pretty good, don't they?