Step into Christmas

I sort-of remember having live christmas trees when I was a tot, but the majority of my Christmas tree memories include me having to crawl under the branches of my family's "fakie" to put the bottom rows of branches on.  Did anyone else's family put the branches in from the top down? Kinda seems silly thinking about it to not start at the bottom then just get a ladder... Well, I digress.  Thanksgiving weekend me and B ventured out to chop down our very first christmas tree together! B did lots of research (thank you Washintonian magazine) and we thought we would be wandering up and down the forrest to chop, wrap, and tie down our own tree.  Turns out "cut your own" sometimes means the trees are "replanted" in the ground and a friendly hispanic farmer man picks it up (sans axe) and ties it to your car.  Boo. 


Eitherway, we enjoyed picking our balsam fir while sipping hot cider.  It may or may not have taken us about 40 minutes to pick, even though there were only 30ish options (gotta be thorough, right?).  So away we scurried, to Target with a tree on our roof to get some lights and pick out this year's special ornaments (a new tradition of each picking one new ornament each year to build our collection).  I was SO worried that some grinch would steal our tree off the roof of the car that I was willing to grab whatever ornament I saw first just to protect our tree! Which is so typical of me to be caught up in worrying about something and almost miss out on the adventure which, in this case was Brandon in an isle of breakables.  


Then it was back to my place (because everyone knows we wouldnt put our tree in B's house!) to adorn it with lights and ornaments.  99.9% of the ornaments are ones that I have been given and my mom has been saving for me over the years until I got my very own tree (that's why there are so many holiday barbie ornaments... babies of the 80s you know you had them too!).  So here are a few shots of our baby tree.  I'm really working hard to remember to feed him each day (hey, I'm trying here)!

Unpacking the tree 

 We are ready for Santa to get here! 

my very first (of many I feel) homemade wreath 

And who could forget the tried and true JMU tree! This little guy has been with me for a while now and each year he gets a few more purple JMUish ornaments.  Even though he's small, he packs a big punch and is quite the crowd pleaser.  And before you ask, those ARE outpost football buttons as ornaments on the tree! I guess I caught the multiple tree-big from my mother, who in years past has boasted up to 5 trees in our house (foyer, den, family room, bathroom, sunporch).. I guess we all do really become our mothers...

*Thank you Elton John for a great title.  PS Santa, I'd happily accept tickets to an EJ concert in my stocking...