Here is our Christmas Tree.
I'd like to tell you a bit about it.
It's a great tree. Big and full. Pre-lit. Holds lots of ornaments. We bought it from our neighbors for $50 6 years ago.
But I hate our tree. I dread getting it out every year. It makes a mess, it's heavy, and it takes WORK to set up and decorate. I like Christmas trees. I love real Christmas trees. But it's just not something I want to spend time or money on. And if I don't want to spend time on my tree, don't get me started on the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon.
So, I just... don't. I don't decorate it. I have friends who spend hours "fluffing" their artificial trees, who painstakingly arrange each and every ornament, often times developing a "theme" for their tree that year. Their trees are AMAZING and GORGEOUS. I would love for them to come over and spend hours to make my tree look like that. For some reason, I feel that request may be viewed as unreasonable?
So here's what I do. I set loose for little boys with a box of ornaments and offer little to no correction of placement. There are about 5 ornaments I make sure I place at the top of the tree myself, but otherwise - its all them.
So I have a one of a kind masterpiece that ends up looking like this in places:
And one foot over looks like this:
And I love it! My tree may not be perfect, or even pretty, but it makes me happy just knowing my boys did it. And they did a great job. They have fun, they work together, there's minimal fighting and punching (a sure sign of success around here) and, most importantly, they think it looks nice. Its the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" thing.
There are two ornaments I really love. This is one:
I made it when when I was 4 years old.
And this is the other.
It says December 2000 on it. It's the year Derek and I were married. There was an ornament exchange one night and I almost got to take this one home with me. But the last person took it from me and I went home with a different ornament. Then, that sweet lady took this ornament, had it engraved, and got it under my Christmas. Christmas morning, 2000, much to my delight and surprise I opened it up. It's our first Christmas ornament. Makes me smile every year, even as I let my boys put it wherever they want on my ugly tree.
2 comments:
We have matching trees! Although ours is much smaller. We bought it for $30 from Walmart in 2000. I refuse to buy a new one. I like our 5' tree just fine. This year it is in a corner, and I'm sure the back doesn't even have an ornament on it. We have random pieces of garland here and there that are about 3 inches in length each. I use to stress about decorating, but I just learned to put the breakable things away for a few years, and let the kids have at it. I do sometimes, after they go to bed, put a few things in more strategic spots (such as our breakable manger scene higher up so Piper can't get it), but other than that it stays put. Until 12:30 on Christmas day when I take it down!
Sheri, I think your tree is beautiful. More beautiful and heartfelt than any gorgeous tree all done up with a theme and perfectly decorated. It's the memories of your kids decorating the tree that matter. More importantly its the memories they will have when they are grown up when they think of the fun they had decorating the tree.
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