I put the Christmas stuff up last weekend, but it never quite feels complete until the tree is in the house. Brian and I bought the tree yesterday afternoon – a huge Nordmann fir from Home Depot that is bushy and beautiful in all the right ways. We fell in love with it because the needles are this deep but fluffy green, silver underneath. The branches are strong enough for heavy ornaments like the Noble fir, but it’s a little bushier like the Douglas fir.
I think we bought too big a tree, though. We waited in line for the guys to cut the bottom off the trunk and then slip it through the doughnut of orange netting, but it wouldn’t go through the hoop. It took 2 burly guys in orange aprons to tug the thing loose until it flopped free onto the black macadam of the parking lot with a swish.
We usually put the tree in the trunk, but it wouldn’t fit this time. Luckily a 3rd Home Depot guy taught us how to tie it to the roof. We don’t have a rack or anything and it wiggled up there every time I turned a corner driving home.
“That makes me so nervous!” I said to Brian.
“What does?”
“The way it wiggles up there.”
“The way what wiggles up there?” he asked.
“The Christmas tree!”
“There’s a Christmas tree on the roof?” he sounded shocked.
“There’s a Christmas tree on our roof,” I said, patting his knee.
He kept “forgetting” about it all the way home until I was laughing and cringing whenever I’d turn.
When we set it up in the house we realized it’s so big it blocks the entry until you almost can’t get through.
I’m still in love with it, though. I can’t wait to see what it looks like with all the lights I bought on it. Because we’re in one of those years where, of the 12 strands of lights in the box, only 1 strand isn’t half burned out. I went to Target and bought twice as many lights as I thought I’d need so we’re covered, no matter how much girth the tree can boast. Challenge accepted, Nordmann. Challenge accepted.
I’m a crazy person about the lights, and that’s my task tonight. I always wrestle with the tree to wrap a strand directly around the middle trunk before wrapping again from the outside. It gives the tree a depth of twinkle that is unmatched. It also, however, gives me sappy hands, needles up the nose, and scratched forearms. Brian refuses to help anymore because he thinks it’s WAY not worth it. But I’ll be enjoying my twinkling tree for another three weeks at least, baby.
The Floof, miss Jennyanydots, is on board with the tree too. She likes to hide in things and jump out at you to attack. Brian calls under the bed her murder cave because of the dust ruffle, and how many of his toes currently have puncture marks. She’s already co-opted the tree for the same purposes; a yuletide murder cave of Christmas cheer. Somehow, when the bible mentions making a joyful noise, I don’t think they meant growling cats fighting beneath the festive bows. But that’s what we’ve got happening in my living room.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at home. In some ways I’m pleased. In others, it makes me even more panicked that I haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet…
Also, have you noticed yet that it’s snowing on the blog? My favorite thing of the season ever!
Casey E. Hamilton 