Tree Trimming

Jas and Miss O put up the Christmas tree yesterday while I lay in bed, a big ball of head-cold misery watching all of the OnDemand episodes of The Good Wife (which rocks by the way- I am hooked.) So all day today Miss O has been bugging us sweetly enquiring about when we could put up the ornaments. So this evening we turned on the Chirstmas tunes, discussed how much nicer it would be if we had something festive to drink... and trimmed the tree! This was the first year that Luke really understood what we were doing. (I say that, and just this morning he wanted to know why there were no presents under the tree... Oh, well...) He LOVED putting the ornaments on the tree. Jas laid out the ones that he couldn't break and he went to town. We had to have a little lesson on the "One Ornament Per Branch" rule though! Growing up, we all had our own boxes filled with ornaments that had been given to us or we made over the years. I still have a glittered Christmas tree cut out of a recycled foam-tray with my little kindergarten picture glued to it. Alot of them my mom made, or my grandmother had tied to presents- each one a memory of something that had happened that year. Before my little sisters came along, my Nanna had given my brother a ceramic Kermit the Frog ornament and me, a Miss Piggy one. I am embarrassed to admit, that being a chubby kid, there were years that I deliberately didn't hang Miss Piggy up. Seriously. So dumb. Now I love her. She's such a classic- and not a chip on her after all these years. I always think of my brother when I hang her up- I hope he still has his Kermit. Since marrying Jas, my family has bombarded him with ornaments, trying to get his collection equal to mine. The first Christmas we shared together, I put a new ornament on almost every present I gave him! He has such a soft spot for Santa, so most of his have something to do with Santa..or Golf... or Santa playing golf. And Elvis, we can't forget his love of Elvis! My mom has even found little kid ones that say "Jake" which is his nickname from when he was young. Too cute. But check this one out that my mom gave him years ago: We just about die laughing everytime someone pulls him out of the box. We affectionately call him "Proctologist Santa" Looks like he's snapping on some gloves getting ready for an exam. BLAH!?!? So gross, but we love him just the same...

We had to put Morgan Jane in the porta-crib while we did the hanging. She has been caught trying to eat the lights off of the tree, so we knew that she couldn't be trusted during all of the hustle and bustle decking out the tree. We don't know what she thought we were doing, but she kept clapping and yelling "yea!" When I finally let her out, she just sat on the hearth and kept cheering. I guess we did a good job!

Miss O has always been in charge of putting the star on the top of the tree. Just let me say for the record: I will cry like a big ole baby the day she is too big to get on Jas shoulder to put it up there. I have pictures of them every year- and while the star has changed over the years- it is always the last thing we put on, and something special just for her.

And what is a Yarbrough event without a dance party at the end??? Rockin' out to Christmas tunes... even Romo joined in!

Ta-Da! Here she is in all her glory- A tree full of memories!

Now on to the rest of the house...