Decorations Shmecorations
Last night, I did the thing I hate the most about the Christmas season: Stringing the lights on the Christmas tree. We have a fake tree, 11 layers high, each layer having 8 branches coming out of the trunk. My wife wants the lights woven up one side of each branch and down the other. This takes about 4 strands of lights. If it were up to me, I’d only use 2 strands and just wrap them around the tree. But, I do have to admit, that weaving all the lights throughout the tree does look much, much better. It’s just damn annoying and takes a good hour and a half. Then the ornaments went on.
What kinds of ornaments do you have? When I was a kid, my parents had the traditional red ball ornaments and silver ball ornaments. When I moved out of the house and had the experience of decorating my own tree, I had them as well. But as the years went by, those ornaments have been replaced with (except for just a couple of exceptions) the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. We have Star Trek ornaments, Star Wars ornaments, Harry Potter, Tnkerbell, Pooh Bear, Peter Pan, anthropomorphic animals doing all sorts of activities like delivering mail, sledding, and snowball fighting…that kind of stuff. My mom isn’t very fond of our tree. She thinks it looks “patch-quilted.” Sure, it’s not as uniform as a tree with all red ball ornaments or something similar, but it is a tree that has plenty of representation for each of the five members of my family.
Your tree sounds cool.
This year I have plastic (that look like glass) silver and red ball ornaments, bows and a few meaninful ornaments on our tree. The kids dug deep into the ornament box and pulled out more old crappy ones and put them on the tree. I was going to argue with them that they didn't match, but decided to keep my yap shut and just let them enjoy doing it by their self. I didn't even "rearrange" the ornaments when a good section was no higher than 3.5 feet off the ground. lol
*~*Cece*~* said...
Mon Dec 17, 06:00:00 PM EST
Your mom would probably consider my tree to be "patch quilted" as well. It's an assortment of random ornaments that don't got together. Some of them are mini picture frames with baby pictures. Some ornaments are glass. There are blue ones and clear ones and red ones and gold ones. And there's a little skater girl ornament and then a rocking horse ornament. Etc. Etc.
Basically, nothing matches.
thethinker said...
Mon Dec 17, 08:52:00 PM EST
See, next year you should fork out for one of those pre-lit trees. That'll eliminate your most-hated chore.
Our tree has 36 stained glass looking (the old Make-it-and-bake-it) ornaments that I made when Alex was two. Then all the ones they've made. A few from my childhood and a bunch of the keepsake style ornaments. If the tree needs more, then I have a couple boxes of standard glass ones that we use to fill in the blank spots.
Sue said...
Tue Dec 18, 10:36:00 AM EST
Ugh, putting the lights on the tree is a bitch. Growing up our tree was also pretty traditional. Now it represents the ornaments made by the boy from daycare to preschool to his elementary years. And the ones I've bought him over the years. It does have much more meaning than the traditional ball ornaments.
Craze said...
Tue Dec 18, 10:59:00 AM EST
Harry Potter ornaments??? I want some!!!
SWF42 said...
Tue Dec 18, 11:17:00 AM EST
We have a tree that comes pre-lit as I also loathe stringing lights. I love a big Martha Stewart looking tree, but I'd wager to say that mine loods just likfe yours. We have all the same ornaments.
the108 said...
Tue Dec 18, 11:25:00 AM EST
my tree is color coordinated. red, white and silver. there is one ornament i brought up from fla that has me when i was like 7 in the middle of a wreath.
Tequila Mockingbird said...
Tue Dec 18, 05:08:00 PM EST
Maybe it's because you have a fake tree. Decorating a giant piece of plastic can't feel very invigorating. Now decorating a giant tree that you're slowly killing...that's satisfaction.
Kara said...
Tue Dec 18, 11:44:00 PM EST
My main requirement is SPARKLE. I love it when the lights hit them and make everything glitter so I have lots of lacquer, crystal, and glittery ornaments.
Oh, and that whole part about lights?
Made me break out into hives because I HATE STRINGING LIGHTS.
Loralee Choate said...
Wed Dec 19, 02:13:00 AM EST