Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

I have spent about a week slowly decorating our apartment for Christmas. Last Saturday night, I got the tree out (2 years ago I caved and bought our first artificial tree. I love real ones and we always got a huge, potted evergreen of some sort in the past, but it is so expensive in our current city and more work than I could handle) and put the lights on. Amazingly, I have used the same string of lights for at least 3 years in a row. In this country, lights are rarely made to last.

Wednesday of this week, Chris had the day off so we did a little family decorating. I have always loved my family's tradition of decorating the tree as a family growing up, but I was a bit hesitant this year. As much as I love traditions and Christmas, I had a decorating disaster in my daydreams where the tree ended up crashing down on the floor. BUT, that hasn't happened. Yet. :)

I got out some of the ornaments. Austin wanted to put lots of them on, but had lots of trouble with the ornament hooks. I pulled out the safest ones I could think of (or he had help) for him to decorate. Either Chris or I had to be playing "defense" with Bennett. I really expected to spend most of the days of December pulling him away from the tree. However, while he has been a little curious, he usually ignores it and goes straight for his toys. We did have the bottom string of lights pulled off at one point, but mostly it has stayed up.


We are going with the "minimalist" theme with our decorating. The bottom third of the tree has no ornaments except for a stuffed elephant from Thailand and a plastic UNC basketball. Both relatively unbreakable. No ribbons running down the tree this year. Not so many glass balls either. I have one of my nativity scenes up, but the others I will save for another year. We have one really good spot that is high enough to be out of reach from little fingers and mouths.

Our countdown Advent Christmas tree is hung just high enough to be out of Bennett's reach and just low enough that Austin can reach to put each day's ornament on. Well, both boys are awake from nap and letting me know it. Happy Advent.