Our Christmas Tree

Ready, set, go!


Sophia & Mommy


Daddy & Sophia

Yesterday we all went to the Home Depot to get our Christmas tree. After debating for a few weeks, whether to get a fresh or artificial one, we've settled on a fresh tree (the time was mostly spent convincing my fiscally responsible husband that getting a fresh tree made more sense). Fresh Christmas trees are environmentally friendly, support our local Christmas tree farmers, & are healthier (no lead dust exposure & resulting reduced IQ in kids).
It was raining heavily & we were all recovering from a bad cold. By the end of the trip we were soaken wet, tired & slightly irritated, but the tree was worth it. It was fresh, bright green & taller than our usual pick (at least 6 feet). It was pretty heavy so it took some maneuvering to get it into the house. The carpet & floor were covered with Christmas tree needles, so Gerritt & I spent some time vacuuming & cleaning (Did I mention Gerritt now loves to vacuum?). While my husband & Sophia went to bed early, Gerritt & I stayed up until 11 pm putting the ornaments on the tree & wrapping a few more presents. Gerritt's job was to put scotch tape on the boxes & to decorate the presents with Christmas-themed stickers.


Decorated Christmas tree with some of the presents


My favorite sight - sparkling of the Christmas tree lights in the dark


Gerritt posing with the photo of my husband's parents & Shon as a baby in the background

I've instructed Gerritt to watch Sophia carefully & keep her away from the tree. Surprisingly, she didn't touch the tree even once since waking up today. Gerritt was the one who kept rearranging the ornaments to find the "perfect fit."
There is certainly nothing like the scent & sight of a beautiful Christmas tree to get you into the Christmas spirit! That, along with a snow globe, a hand-decorated wooden egg from Russia featuring St. Nicholas, a Christmas cross-stitched pillow & a Santa figurine create a perfect holiday house ready for entertaining!


Also, I love watching special movies around Christmas time. A few days ago Gerritt & I watched a true American classic The Wizard of Oz from 1939. He was thoroughly impressed & proceeded to pretend that Spike was Toto & he was the Wicked Witch of the West for the rest of the night. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man & the Cowardly Lion were well liked too.


Gerritt pretending to be the Wicked Witch of the West flying on a broomstick


Gerritt giving love to imaginary Toto (Spike)

It's not hard to imagine how this movie became the most-watched film in history (according to the Library of Congress) & is often ranked among the top 10 best fantasy movies of all-time. We'll have to watch it again once Sophia is a bit older. She may enjoy dressing up as Dorothy for Halloween. In fact, I already have a Dorothy dress that I bought on sale this fall! :-)