The Battle of Our Christmas Tree

It is tradition every December first to get together go out and pick out our Christmas tree and take it home to decorate. Everyone in the house is expected to get out of work or be home for the extravagant event, which always includes, yelling, fighting, and the occasional stomp-off.

First we all load up in the car and head out in hopes of picking out the best Christmas tree. This could take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour. The tree has to be just the right height and not have any bear spots; once in awhile we will think about being different and try to pick a different style tree such as a Fraser Fir, but after many hems and sighs we settle on the Spruce style. After the size is determined we have the workers open up around a dozen trees so we can see what they look like once the branches fall. When everyone has had enough and at the point of, "I don't care anymore", one family member says, "that one is fine" and we load it into the car and head home.

At home is where all the fun begins. We drag the tree out of the car and set it in the tree stand. Now one person sits and tells the person holding the tree, how to position the tree so it is straight. This is when the yelling really starts. The family member holding the tree up is complaining, "it is too heavy and it is pricking me", while the other yells to turn it and lean this way and that to get it straight. After it is secure in the stand the holder comes from behind the tree to take and look and inevitably they say, "It is not even close to standing straight". The other person now becomes the holder while they tell them which way to turn and lean to get it set up straight. This process goes back and forth until someone gives up and shouts, "forget it we will have a crocked tree".

Finally comes the decorating of the Christmas tree. The lights have to be wrapped perfectly even around the tree. This is accomplished which the, hand off method, behind the tree from person to person. Then the ornaments come next. One person just randomly is throwing the ornaments anywhere while the other is arguing that they aren't spreading them around well enough. And the tears come when a few ornaments drop and break or you open a box and find your favorite ornament broken in the bottom of the box. We all move on and power through the process though.

At last our Christmas tree is all finished and we all sit back together and admire the blood sweat and tears that went into this years tree. Of course it is a beautiful tree and we take pictures around it to remember that special December first. We then wait for the twenty-four days to pass so we can fill the underneath of our tree with tons of presents.