2nd & 3rd days of Christmas

Every year (except for the first year of our marriage), Josh & I get a live tree to put in our home for the Christmas season. And every live tree we've obtained (except for one) has come from the same location on a mountainside near Salmon.

On the 2nd day of Christmas: the Tree
Traditionally, we go and cut down the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving as a family. This year was no exception to that tradition...the only thing that was different about our annual tree-hunt was that I didn't go for the first time ever. I was just one week post-knee-surgery, and I didn't think I would be able to traverse the terrain successfully. I was really sad about it, but I gave Josh the camera and gave him strict instructions to take photos so I wouldn't feel completely left out of it! There was a big group this year that went tree hunting: Grandpa, Josh & our boys, Gid & Alyssa, Mal & his gal pal Molly, and several of Tiffany's kids. Josh took some fun pictures, and he did a great job picking out the tree without me; he brought back our biggest Christmas tree yet! Gideon took two smaller trees, and Mal & Molly each took a smaller tree for their college dorms. The kids all had a great time on the excursion, too!

On the 3rd Day of Christmas: Decorating the Tree
I have always been the one to put the lights on the tree (with just two exceptions of Josh doing it), and I didn't have the energy to do the job until a week after the boys cut it down. The Monday after bringing it home, we did a Family Home Evening project of rearranging and cleaning the living room to bring the tree inside. We moved the piano to a different wall so that the tree would be placed along the wall with the tallest ceiling. Josh still had to cut the base of it as well as a few branches off in order to fit it in the house. It now stands at 8 1/2 feet tall--truly our biggest tree ever.

The boys wanted to decorate it the same night we brought it in, but unfortunately for them, I just couldn't do it. That was the first day I'd returned to work, and I was so sore and stiff, and in pain and so exhausted that I couldn't put the lights on the tree. So instead, I got out the four artificial 3' trees for them to decorate with their own ornaments and lights for their individual bedrooms. They were happy to have a project, and they all got right to work.

Finally on Friday (after 4 days of the boys' begging and the tree standing naked--and a full week after cutting it down), I put the lights on the tree. Josh & I have not always seen eye-to-eye regarding tree lights. I like plain-colored lights, and he likes multi-colored lights. Last year, I compromised by getting all blue lights for the tree. They pleased me because they were all the same, and they pleased him because they were colored. So, I chose to do the same compromise this year by getting all red lights. We've never had an all-red tree before, and our whole family loves it! After spending an hour putting the lights on, and putting the tree topper on, I took a break from tree-decorating and let the boys take over. The 3 youngest boys decorated the rest of the tree themselves, using the red & gold decorations. I was so impressed that the boys pulled over kitchen chairs & stools so that they could reach higher on the tree to place the ornaments. They did an outstanding job and I enjoyed watching them do it all on their own accord, without any help from me! It truly was a family project that we all contributed to: Josh picking out the tree, me putting the lights on it, and the boys placing its decorations. I think that's part of the reason why I love it so much--because it was a collaberative effort. We all love coming home in the evening to find its red lights on and the house lights off; it's such a beautiful and peaceful sight!