O Tannenbaum

I hope you know I was kidding in my previous post about the blog awards. Maybe someday I'll really get into this blogging thing. Anyway, I'm sitting here on a relaxing Saturday morning in front of our beautiful Christmas tree. Somtimes I feel like the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge when it comes to Christmas lights and trees. I wasn't looking forward to getting a tree because of the space it takes in our living room and the mess that falling needles make. I tried to convince the rest of the family that a nice fake tree would be just as good but it was no go. Everyone else wants the real thing.

Well now that it's up I'm glad we have it. I love the way my son gets into the whole thing. He reminds me of Chevy Chase in the movie Christmas Vacation. You know, the guy who never has enough lights and has to outdo everyone in the neighborhood, the one who blows the fuse on the electricity because of the power drain. That's my boy. Every year he insists on getting more lights. It's a good father son activity. But, every other morning the electric outlets in the bathroom don't work because of a blown fuse from the Christmas lights. At first I thought my blow dryer was dead, but no, it was merely a blown fuse caused by the drain of the Christmas lights, bah humbug.

I also love the family time of putting up the tree. We have some great keepsake ornaments that the kids have made through the years, some with baby pictures and little boy and girl pictures. I especially like the one Eric made at daycare when he was three. It's a reindeer head made from the outline of his foot and the antlers are his hand outline. Where did that little boy go?

When I was growing up we had a family tradition that my brother and I each had an angel ornament. Every year we would put that ornament on the tree as high as we could reach. I've instituted that with my kids, but alas, Eric's is almost off the top of the tree, it's even with the star at the top of the tree. I guess we'll have to get a taller tree next year...

Here's an interesting article on the origin of the Christmas Tree:
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum