O Christmas Tree

I can remember decorating the Christmas tree when I was a kid. My sister and I would spend hours and hours putting multi-colored bulbs on the lower half and then fight over who had more of the silver, stringy, icicle stuff. Then, when we thought it looked too bare, we'd make paper ornaments and hang them on the tree with twist ties we recycled from loaves of bread.

It was always put in the same spot. Year after year it'd go in the front family room (or as my parents called it, the "good" living room -- good for what? is the queen coming over???). Anyway....our house was kind of an open floor plan on one side. The "good" living room opened up to the dining room and that opened up to the regular family room. (Would've been AWESOME for a bowling alley!) Mom liked the tree in the front room so you could see it from the outside....and so you could admire it from the inside at night.

My parents always insisted on a real tree....although my dad would probably beg to differ on that since he was the one that always got stuck on the clean-up crew. But the smell was so worth it. Even now, if I pass a real tree and close my eyes, I can see myself with those silver icicles in my hand. Of course, I can also still feel the prick in the arch of my foot come February when you're scuffing your feet on the carpet to shock your sister.

Now that I think about it, I don't even know where the real tree came from. I don't remember going out to the country tree farm all Griswald-like, trekking miles in the freezing snow, chopping it down and then lugging it back to the car. And I don't remember going to some Mom-and-Pop stop where they were in aisles, lined up like some evergreen tent. Yet, year after year, there it stood, proudly boasting in our "good" living room.

Not much has changed, really, from when I was younger. I still love putting up the tree. I'm finally able to put all of the bulbs evenly on the tree -- not just at the bottom. I just don't have anyone to fight over the icicles with.

It has to look perfect. Like, staight-out-of-Martha-Stewart-Living-magazine-perfect. I traded in the multi-colored lights for only red and white ones. Red and silver bulbs (placed perfectly thankyouverymuch), silver and red ribbon, candy canes, garland and a big white star at the tip top. Perfect.

Since none of the kids were here to help me decorate this year, I dediced to do something a wee bit different. Last year I took one still picture of the final outcome of the tree -- at night, all lit up. But this year, I decided to do a graduation from start to finish.

Any of my friends -- and especially my husband and children -- will tell you what a big, fat dork I am. It's ok. Really. I know this and I wear it proudly.

You'll see.