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Is there something that you like to do to begin your holiday season? Do you get up early on Black Friday and shop? Or is your visit to Santa the beginning of your Christmas festivities? Here in Teeny Town California I actually like to cross the Big River of the Carquin's and visit B-Town. The first friday in December is their gala tree lighting parade and I've been taking OD and her friends for years now. It is OUR way of beginning the Season. At the end of B-Town is this beautiful line of Royal Palm trees- all lit up, and at the very end is the traditional Christmas Tree. Kinda festive wouldn't ya say? The other thing that we do is get our very own Christmas tree on the first Saturday of December. Daddy Jesus was born on the first week,and his favorite thing in the world is Christmas and all the trimmin's.
This is how our tree shopping and decorating expedition usually goes.
First we decide on where to go. After very little debate ( we usually buy from the local swim team) we all pile into my truck and scoot on down there. Then we shake all the trees, and smell the needles. All of us- even Daddy Jesus smells needles. The debate usually lasts for half an hour or so, no longer cuz the 'Game' is usually about to start and Lord knows you don't want to miss ' A Game!"
The tree is paid for, hauled into the truck and I am yelled at all the way home- I drive too fast, or not fast enough or the truck smells like horses, or the back seat is too crowded. Once home, we unload 'treenormous', Daddy Jesus disappears to watch the aforementioned Game, and I am stuck with putting the lights on~ all by myself. This year, my sweet and TALL OD helped.
We plugged the lights in, all working.
Tree in stand,straight? Yes.
Vacuum dead needles off rug, put tree in corner by window and then decide to rearrange furniture.
Move couch to west wall, chair to south wall, loveseat to north wall.
ugh!
Move couch to South wall, loveseat to east wall, chair to west wall...
Nope.
Move couch opposite other couch, get rid of chair, add a table, and tilt everything 45 degrees at an angle like they do on the home channel.
yech.
Put all furniture and tables back.
Check.
Plug in lights again, just to make sure they are all working. Yep.
Pull ladder in from very dark scary side yard, wipe away any traces of spiders so OD won't freak out in the middle of hanging decorations, vaccumm dead needles and dirt from carpet and position small kitchen stool on the back side of tree so short little me can wrap lights around tree without jumping.
OD places Angel tree topper. We stand back, notice tree is no longer straight, spent 10 minutes trying to straighten tree and finally think the tree isn't so crooked after all.
Climb ladder with working lights, try to figure out how may strings we will need and do all of them have male and female ends? The answer of course, is No.
We get rid of a set that doesn't have the male and female end, just the male end, begin threading lights very carefully around the branches.
Around and around we go, until we have used up three or four strings of lights, the little twinkly ones...
We plug them in...
The very top set and the middle set don't work.
We wait for them to warm up.
They still don't work.
I climb down from the stepstool and pour a drink,also hand one to OD.
Re-climb ladder, unwind lights from the bottom UP, unplug the angel and take a 'moment'.
Find another string of lights, male and female ends, begin winding lights around tree from the TOP again. Plug in lights-
Voila!
I climb down the ladder and OD pours us another drink.
Re vacuum rug.
Go to the garage, bring out 10 boxes of Christmas toys and ornaments, can't find the one with the ribbons
I decide ribbon is highly over-rated, climb the step stool at the back of the tree and start hanging ornaments.
OD puts on Christmas music, chases puppy away from tree skirt.
Hangs toys.
Chases puppy away from bottom of tree. Takes red and gold Christmas balls away from puppy.
Get pruner, makes sure puppy has nothing to chew on that she can reach.
Yell for Daddy Jesus to come get puppy.
DAddy Jesus gets puppy, lets her outside, but doesn't wait to see if she makes pee-pee. Lets her in, then hollers cuz puppy pees on the kitchen floor.
I finish hanging toys and ornaments. Clean up pee-pee, chase puppy away from tree.
Pour another drink for myself.
OD takes the puppy to bed.
Finally treenormus stands beautiful and glimmering in the corner, finished.
Sigh**
There are boxes still to be unpacked tomorrow, but in the immortal word of Scarlett O'Hara,
I can't think about that now. I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day...
