How We Got the Middle of the Tree

Here's the first Christmas-y post of the season for me - all about decorations in this post because I didn't take pictures of the Christmas cookies.

I bought a plain pine wreath from the church youth group fundraiser, and pulled out my stash of picks to decorate it.  A pick is a little posy of things on a single wire and you poke it into a floral arrangement or wreath or whatever.  I have a weakness for fake fruit and bright colors, but I rarely use my picks.  I love how this wreath turned out!

The children set up the two manger scenes; this is a new spot for this bookcase because we are also shifting rooms around upstairs.  That's a topic for another post!

Now, the tree story.  My husband's best friend came along to the hilarious tree farm that our family  usually goes to.  The two of them, out in the muddy tree field in a cold misty rain, suddenly got grandiose visions and selected "the twins."

The twins were two enormous, unshapely trees that the tree lot was selling for $25 (thrifty, sure, but just read on).  See those 9-foot poles that Genevieve and the best friend are holding?  Yeah, the twin trees were feet taller than those poles.  In vain, I tried to coax the men out of their Napoleonic complex.  In vain.  They stretched out in the mud (no one had warned the best friend to wear old clothes and bring work gloves - he was wearing his nice black concert clothes and dress shoes) and sawed the trees down.

The netted tree laid in our dining room while my husband finally understood that it was two feet taller than our dining room ceiling (shocker), so he sawed off the bottom of the tree.  Finally upright in the tree stand, its top branches still bent against the ceiling.  He was rigging up a special brace for it when it fell over while we screamed and grabbed and fled.  So my husband sawed off the top and now we had nothing but the middle six feet of a Christmas tree.  It looked so. . . .strange.

For the first time, my husband looked at me in apology and embarrassment, and offered to chuck this tree and get a new one. I couldn't bear more money and more mud, so I suggested we just make the best of it.  He fetched the tippy-top of the tree back from the trash, plunked it a cup of water, and wired it back on top of the tree.

It looks much better decorated (nothing breakable - just in case) and next year, I am choosing the tree.

My husband tells me that next time, he wants to put such a magnificently tall tree in our living room which has actual 11-foot ceilings.  I pointed out that we'll have to get rid of some furniture in that room first.  Makes the Christmas tree seem not worth the bother. . .