tree time
We usually get our Christmas trees later than most folks, more towards the middle of December. That's officially because, following the traditions of our British fore-bearers, we keep it up through twelfth night in January; my general lack of focus and organization probably contributes too. But this year I had Leah's upcoming surgery to concentrate my mind, so I was sure to schedule a tree-shopping trip for a day when all five of us were able to be up and about to pick it out. That day was yesterday!
even the trees are masked in 2020
As you can see, it was pretty dark by the time we got to Chip In. That's not because of lack of focus, though: 4:30 was the only time we were all free at the same time! Fortunately, the dark didn't inhibit our ability to pick the best tree much, because there were only a handful to choose from. Some people might object to the small selection, but not us—as I've said before (somewhere in this blog, which I'm not going to track down to link), having only a couple of possible choices really saves us some time and mental work. And we always end up with a perfect tree anyways.
We decorated the tree this afternoon, while listening to selection from our extensive collection of Christmas music (14 hours and 51 minutes in the "Christmas" playlist!). I did the lights, fake cranberries, and ribbons; the boys handled the ornaments—and without breaking a single one! Harvey is tall enough now to reach all but the highest branches, though I was still required to put on the star. I wonder if I still will be next year?
It came out beautiful, as always, and we spent some time basking in its glow after supper. And it's a good thing we like it: it'll be here for the next month!