We put up our Christmas tree Saturday night. I know. It was still several days from Thanksgiving. I’m not trying to steal Thanksgiving’s shine, so until Thanksgiving is over, I’ll call it my Thanksgiving tree. And I’ll give thanks AND celebrate Jesus on Thanksgiving day. See? Works out perfectly.
PB went to play at his granny’s for a little while on Saturday while we put up the tree. So it was just Ben and I, putting up our 3rd little Christmas tree together. The first year we were married, I thought I was so stinkin’ hott when we put up our tree. Putting up a tree together was like marital rite of passage. So we went all out that first year. We had all the time in the world, listening to Christmas music, making Christmas cookies, taking lots of pictures, meticulously decorating the tree, and watching what else but National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation, you know, like they do on those Hallmark movies.
And I determined that this would be our Christmas-tree-putting-up-tradition.
So last year, with a new baby in tow, we put up the same tree, ate store-bought Christmas cookies (because I was lazy and sleep-deprived), turned the Christmas music down real low, threw some ornaments on the tree, and watched about 10 minutes of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation before we fell asleep.
This year, folks, it was like a scene straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie.
We got the tree out of the box, and got to work.
Hark! Is that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
Look a little closer.
Gasp. Why, no! It’s a football game!
I managed to squeeze a little ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ in on YouTube. We scarfed down sugar cookies during halftime, tried to strategically place the ornaments out of PB’s reach, and I reminisced about our first Christmas tree as Ben yelled at the refs.
The only thing missing was the Christmas sweaters.
Things have changed since our first Christmas. And things will continue to change. I like to think our Christmas-tree-putting-up tradition reflects the time in our life. The first year, we were hott stuff, newlyweds, trying to have a Hallmark Christmas. The second year, we were exhausted, new parents, still trying to have that Hallmark Christmas. And this year, we got real. We had about an hour to ourselves so we tossed up the tree, watched football together, ate an obscene amount of sugar cookies, and laughed at our newlywed selves.
It was probably the best Christmas-tree-putting-up to date. Though I can imagine next year’s Christmas-tree-putting-up will probably top this one. I have a feeling PB is gonna be one nasty Christmas tree decorator.
What about y’all? Do you have any not-so-Hallmark Christmas-tree-putting-up traditions?
Have a blessed Monday 🙂
