Tis the season

We haven't had a Christmas tree since the birth of the twins. Come to think of it, we didn't have a tree before the twins were born. We had a wreath, some Christmas runners and a big candle (which was the candle from our wedding) put into the middle of the wreath. All that was divine but it was all very adult. The first two Christmases the twins had were at their grandparents' house. Their grandparents did a great job, decorating the house with a tree, wreaths, candles, presents and festive cheer. Now that we're on our own, we decided (or rather I decided) that we would make a big deal out of Christmas and everything to do with it.

We've taken to playing Christmas carols in the car, reading them the Christmas story as well as decorating the house. Obviously, it's nothing like decorations that adorn some houses in the US but we had fun setting up everything, right from the get go. First we had to decide on whether we wanted a live tree or a fake one. The great thing about a live one would have been the scent of pine. Even when we were at the nursery, its scent was alluring and we were tempted.



















Just walking through there, down the rows of fir trees made me feel like I was in a different country. Maybe it was the smell or the wet and cool artificial climate that had been created to keep the trees looking pretty and green, but it made me feel Christmassy although a little bit of snow and cold would have been nice. I know Christmas trees are cruel and environmentally unfriendly but they sure are pretty. And if we were to believe Phoebe in Friends, they have souls and shouldn't be killed.


What kept us from buying, apart from our consciences, was the knowledge that it would die and before it did, it would shed its needles like a cat shedding fur. So a fake tree it was and a relatively small one at that. We could have bought the 7 feet one that looked almost as real as the pine ones sans the shedding and the dying. But we had to remember that we had two young children whose fingers were extremely twitchy and destructive. Same thing went for the decorations. No point with pretty delicate ones that might shatter once Destructo and Destructee start bouncing them around.

Anyway, the twins had a wonderful time decorating the tree although we needed to re-decorate it after they'd gone to bed. We were pleased with the fact that they knew how to hang the ornaments onto the branches even if their idea of hanging them up were to hang EVERY single ornament on the same branch. Packrat did the honours and put the lights on. The Barbie on top of the tree is mine; the Sugar Plum Fairy Barbie that I was given the year I was involved in the Nutcracker Ballet. Since it was no longer in pristine condition and was worth naught, I decided that it would sit pretty on the top of the tree and be my contribution to our Christmas decor stash. If you look very carefully, there are also reindeers at the base of the tree which I fell in love with and had to buy. Of course, the twins have tried to ride it, feed it and constantly talk to it as if they were alive and their pets.
























We didn't managed to totally avoid the siren song of the fir trees and ended up with a tiny table top one. Packrat really liked it and even though it was extremely pricey for that little tip of a tree, we bought it and I adorned it with apples and cinnamon sticks. It looks slightly pagan but sits pretty on our dining table and every morning, we walk into the dining area to the smell of pine and cinnamon. Divine.

























So we're ready, decor wise for Christmas. The children know their Christmas songs and know that it is Jesus's birthday. The only thing we haven't done is actually to do our Christmas shopping. It's a little bit of a bummer to do without a bonus this year and whatever paltry extra we were going to get in lieu of a bonus is pro-rated for me, owing to the time off I took. Like I say, bummer.

But at least, I have a pretty home to come home to and it is very therapeutic to sit and watch the lights twinkle, although when the twins fiddle with the switches and it flashes really quickly, I think I'm going to have a seizure, which is usually my reaction to a lot of things they do, anyway.


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