Getting There

Sort of.

Yikes, this picture makes my apple green wall color look like the color "spring green" from a Crayola crayon box.

I have a strange method to my tree decorating madness. I put the meaningful ornaments on the top, the not as important but still nice ornaments on the bottom and the ornaments that I could take or leave on the back. And then fill in the spaces with any extras.

As you can see, I have an eclectic taste in ornaments. No two are the same and the only decipherable theme is "hodge-podge" or "bric-a-brac" or "wow, that's a hot mess of ornaments you have there."

The tree looks bland without lights (and without 2/3 of the ornaments!) but I tried a picture with the lights on and it looked scary.

I'm not a tinsel kind of girl. Wait, do they even make tinsel anymore? Probably not. It's a petroleum based product and I'm sure it has been banned by the environmentalist whackos out there. I'm also not much for garland. Mostly because it's hard to wrap evenly around the tree and it would send my OCD into over drive.

That's not a good thing.

So, I'm embellishment-less (read: boring). No garland. No tinsel. No popcorn or cranberries.

No ribbon or candy canes or sparkly beads or peacock feathers.

Just ornaments of a wide variety on a monster of a fake tree. I used to think that fake trees were of the devil, but once I spotted a pre-lit tree that required absolutely no effort in the light department I was sold. No tangled lights!

I like the smell of fresh trees and do miss that one attribute of a fresh tree, but they make wonderfully scented pine candles to remedy that situation. Like I said, no tangled lights!

While at my Sister-in-Law's this weekend, I picked up a Reader's Digest to read. Inside there was a little article of sorts that said those that choose white lights are the type of people who ask their guests to remove their shoes when entering the house. While, I never ask adults to do that, the kids are expected to. I guess the article is politely saying that white lights = uptight.

Yep, I'd say that's about right.

Although, growing up we had those huge "Charlie Brown" bulbs for our tree. So colorful and vivid and definitely a fond memory for me. And yet, I go for white lights now.

Surprising? Eh, not so much.

I was planning on finishing up the tree this evening, but right now Caroline and her friend have set their Webkinz up in front of the tree with bowls of food (?) and they're in my way. Sarah, Caroline's friend, asked if they could help decorate the tree. Normally I oblige these types of requests, but I told her as honestly and politely as I possibly could, that I'm a crazy sick tree freak and would prefer it if she didn't help.

She understood.

I'm glad.

Although, they've just taken out every bowl I own and placed them in the living room. Somehow I think having them "help" with the tree would be more pleasant than the alternative mess I'm now facing.

Instead of focusing on that kind of stuff, I'll supply you with a picture of one of my favorite ornaments....and the one that has been chosen as 2005's official ornament.

Aww, here's Caroline from her first year in pre-school.

And her dirty shoes.

She always has dirty shoes.

Back tomorrow with more pictures of a (hopfully) fully dressed tree.