Tree Day Already

Yes, oh yes, it is tree day already. The holiday season is really flying by this year. Perhaps it is because there seems to be so much to do with my young girl. Still, tree day is always a favorite. We probably should have waited a bit longer (especially considering how hard it is for me to take down my tree in the week before New Years) but the weekend came and we could not resist.

Though it was sunny, it was frigidly cold that day. I remember April's fingertips looking purple as she ran around touching all the trees. Silly girl is too much like her mama. Picking a tree is a sensory experience. You have to feel the needles and branches, smell that pine or fir and take plenty of time to gaze at it's every feature. I take tree day very seriously (can't you tell?). After much deliberation, we all agreed that this full. 5 ft noble fir was the one.

For the past few years we simply could not trust that April would not attempt to pull all the ornaments off the tree and in the process pull the entire tree down, so we usually used an extendable gate to enclose the tree. We took a chance this year and left the gate in the garage. We chose only to use non-breakable ornaments this year in case of an accidental tree collapse. It was a good excuse to make some special new ornaments with my girl. We whipped up some dried orange slice ornaments, a couple button ornaments and her favorite; the cinnamon dough ornaments. It made the tree so much more special seeing all the ornaments April and I hang made and hung together. She was so thrilled with the tree process and her joy just added so much more to an already special day.

The tree is now home and dressed. It is still, even days later, an exciting piece of conversation for my two-year-old. Sitting by the tree, all lit up, reading stories to my sweet daughter before bed is sure to become one of my favorite Christmas memories.