Since this is our 5th December living in Arizona, but only the 1st Christmas we will spend here, we thought it would be so much fun to get a real Christmas tree instead of using our usual fake one. So the Monday after Thanksgiving we went and picked out our beautiful, real tree. It was so much fun to set up and we loved the way it looked and smelled. About 2 1/2 weeks after we got it, it just started to loose is freshness and we noticed that in fact it was almost completely dead. We made sure it had water every day-but it still died. Seriously-how terrible! So on Saturday we took all the decorations off and Jonathan took it back to where we got it. He picked out another tree and brought it home. I watched him take it out of the truck and stand it up and just as he did, about every needle on the tree fell onto the sidewalk. I thought I would die laughing-there was seriously only sticks on the whole top 1/4 of the tree. So off he went again to return the second tree. They gave us our money back since every tree on the lot was just as dead as the two we brought home. By this time it was getting late on Saturday and we had a TON to do, so we just figured that instead of going tree hunting we'd just set up our old, trusty, fake tree and save the money. So we set it up and put up all the decorations for a 2nd time this year. Buying Christmas trees in Arizona must just not be quite the same! We're just glad to have a place for Santa to put all of the presents when he comes!Now about our Christmas tree. Since Ally was born we decided to start the tradition of letting each of our kids pick out an ornament every year to hang on the tree. So we have everything from pink and blue baby shoes, baseballs, dinosaurs, Barbies, Buzz Lightyear, Ariel-on and on, on our tree. We write their names and the year somewhere on them and hope to one day pack up all of them and send them on with each kid as they have their own trees. As much as I would love to have a beautiful "themed" tree, I love the memory of when I was little and getting out each of the ornaments and the special meanings that were tied to each of them. We decided that one day when we have a little bigger house we will have 2 trees-one for show and the other for memories and fun. We love our tree and the kids love to look at all the ornaments over and over-real or fake-it makes no difference to them!!
12 comments:
It was about time you blogged, we missed you! Anyway, I love your tree and Kyle and I started the tradition as well when Bayden was born to let them pick out an ornament. It has been really fun. Bayden has had the priviledge of decoratiing our not so real tree for the last two years and it has been interesting. Some mornings I wake up and all the ornaments are one branch. I agree with you. Two trees would be nice, one for the kids to knock down everyday, and one to be beautiful and trimmed through the Christmas season. Your tree however looks beautiful, I love it. Are you showing yet?
I think you have a perfect tree. Pretty ribbon to make it formal, and still full of great memories. Mine is the same and I kept thinking that I wanted a seperate formal tree, but the more I think about the more I love my traditional tree. I love all your wrapping paper too. I am impressed you can have presents under your tree. Kate just opens anything she sees so no presents for us until Christmas Eve this year.
I am also SHOCKED (to say the least) that Austin hasn't attempted to open the presents! I'm thinking he doesn't really know there is stuff inside of them? He's been really good about that and also ornaments on the tree-YEAH!!
Well Mallory loves the ornaments but hasn't touched the presents so I will be greatful that only my ornaments are missing in action.
I love your tree and Reeslyn loved seeing it, sorry we showed up without warning! Thanks for the post!!!
That tree story is hillarious. Gave me a good chuckle. I don't know if I could decorate a tree, take it all down, and put it all up again. And the final product--beautiful!
Good thing for the trusty fake trees. We never tried getting a real tree while we were there in AZ. It sounds like it was good we just always used our fake one. We did get a a real tree this year, and knock on wood it is still alive. I also love how you do your ornaments. I might have to starting using your idea. I bet the kids love pulling out their own ornaments each year. What a great tradition. Kami
That is hilarious. It was worth a try, though. The tree looks beautiful, though. Hope the rest of your Christmas turns out a little better.
I love that you can laugh about two dead trees! What else can you do, right? It looks beautiful and I love your tradition. I hope you guys have a great Christmas!
It's a beautiful tree! i can only imagine how hard it is to have a real tree in dry Arizona, no wonder we always had a fake growing up ;)
Good for you! We will never have a foofie tree. I love letting my kids help with the decorations and letting them feel it is their tree too. A fake tree is better than a dead real tree.
I am amazed by the fact that your tree looks so beautiful and that your presents still look so nicely wrapped. I have not put any presents our for fear Caden would open them. And our tree has been rearranged many times by Kailyn (it is very lopsided at the moment).
You tree is beautiful. We always love when you blog. It's fun to see the haps of your cute family. Merry Christmas!
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