O Christmas Tree

In recent years we've obtained a Christmas tree from a number of sources...a street corner lot on Astor Place in Manhattan, an organic vegetable stand in Ballard, and a nursery known for its Christmas decorations off Santa Fe. With this background where did we go this year....Home Depot. I know, it's a big box store and there are a myriad of arguments against this move, not the least of which is the lack of the spirit of the season. However, it was the morning of the day after Thanksgiving and we had to stop there for a couple things. It turned out to be a good solution and saved us a stop and trying to herd three kids through a nursery lot.

Here you can see Dad set out a Frasier Fir for Mom's approval. A surprisingly good selection and Dad did the old needle test from A Christmas Story.

I'd say the boys were OK with the venue.

Once home, Dad begun digging all the decorations out of the basement. Mom had a helper while trying to prepare a wreath for the front door (more on this later). Ribbon and shiny bells are a hit.

While the big kids napped, Dad brought the tree into the house and assembled the stand. Once awake, it was decorating time. With Jack asleep, Ella and Hank were in charge of hanging the bells. To be clear, it is not because the might destroy the occasional ornament, Dad has done a fine job of that himself. As always, Mom is in charge of the lights.

Ella was quite focused on the task at hand.

Dad and Hank examine the decorations thus far...

Hank's newest word is "Up, Up, Up"

Ella admired her work thus far, especially noting how she had grown up since her first ornament from coop preschool way back in Ballard (leaf with picture of Ella 2 years earlier).

I am not sure how, but we have avoided having to cordon off the tree thus far. Not so with Jack...the superyard was hosed off and brought in to protect the tree from our most curious and destructive child. Who would have guessed he'd already be standing on his own.

When all was said and done I'd have to say it was a success. Notice all three kids content and calm in the living room enjoying the tree and fireplace. This lasted about 30 seconds.

Not pictured, this year Dad used a recipe from a colleague that purports to make your real tree fire proof. Mom had picked up the ingredients (not easy to find Borax and Epsom Salt among other items) and Dad mixed everything up in a five gallon bucket while only suffering minor chemical burns on his hands (think Fight Club). It seemed to work based on the amount of fizz and how quickly the tree absorbed it!