Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Preparing for Christmas

Last week Younger Daughter put her foot down and announced, in the face of Don's and my laziness, that enough was enough and she was setting up the Christmas tree.

This is fairly easy to do because last year we transitioned (gasp!) to a fake tree.


I miss the days when we tromped through the snowy woods to locate the best tree we could find; but we now have the compensating virtue that my husband can breathe with comfort through the month of December.

So Younger Daughter got to work, starting with moving her parrot Lihn's cage out of the corner where we normally put the tree, and put her in front of the window.


Then we hauled down the tree box and started unpacking it.


I still think artificial trees are kinda funky...


...but there's no question the results are consistent.


We tested lights before stringing them on.


It only took us an hour or so to get the ornaments on...



...and it only took Lydia a little longer than that to claim the space behind her tree has her "cave."


Then, on a day Younger Daughter was out of the house, Don and I pulled out all the wrapping supplies, and wrapped presents.



A tree always looks prettier with packages underneath.



Older Daughter will be flying in on Christmas Eve, thanks to the hard-working personnel working for airlines and airports across the country. We'll have her until just after New Year's. We know we won't be able to have our girls with us every year for Christmas, so we'll count our blessings while we can.

7 comments:

  1. We were also late putting up our tree. After our cat passed away we decided to buy a new tree, he had worked the other one over pretty good. Well my husband got what we all thought was a great deal after last Christmas was over and we got that tree out of the box to our shock that tree was pitch black. I am not going to put up a black tree. So it was back to Wal Mart. No wonder that tree was on such good sale after Christmas. Some bargains aren't really.

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  2. Our daughter's family were excited several years ago when they would be home for Christmas and could take care of a live tree rather that the usual artificial tree. Unfortunately, they found that several members of the family were having allergic attacks during the entire season when the tree was up. They went back to the artificial tree the next year and breathed again. Don isn't the only sufferer.

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  3. We have an artificial tree that we bought 36 years ago when we came back from our honeymoon (we were married December 27). It's a little crooked, and is propped up in spots by hanger wires, but it still looks pretty good and sheds just like a real tree.

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  4. Fake trees are the way to go. A live tree is literally akin to taking a gallon can of gasoline, setting it in your living room, and wrapping it with electric lights. Anyone who has witnessed the heat released by a burning Christmas tree will tell you that it is truly astounding. Anyone who has lost a loved one due to a Christmas tree fire will tell you that Christmas is never the same again...

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  5. Just got my Jan-Feb Backwoods Home and it was the best information issue for many months. Your article on Prioritizing Preparedness and Jackie's on Bugging out in place were both top notch. Thank you for good information.

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  6. We have 180 acres of woods on our farm and we have a fake tree. Best way to go.--ken

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  7. May older daughter arrive home safe and sound, may the storm that will most likely be smacking us while the tractor is in the shop miss you, and may you all have a very blessed and wonderful celebration of Christ's birth together. God Bless. Natokadn

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