On the 14th Day of Christmas

Why does time speed up after Halloween? Seriously, why? Is it just me or are the days flying by? Maybe it’s because there are fewer daylight hours? It’s colder? All I want to do is sleep? I don’t know, but I can’t believe Thanksgiving is Thursday and then – like the day after that – is Christmas.

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O Christmas Tree

Black Friday is probably the only day of the year I avoid shopping of any kind. I detest the crowds and the idea of “wasting” a day off fighting over parking spaces, pawing through tables of discounted goods, and standing in line for any reason. No. Thank. You.

I do, however, like to get out there early and pick out just the right Christmas tree. I love the sparkling dew on the aromatic branches. I enjoy the exhilaration of climbing the hills and valleys on either side of the farm we visit nearly every year. Eye-balling potential specimens from all angles looking for unacceptable flat spots or gaps.

But, when we find the perfect tree — our tree — I can’t stop the childish excitement that bubbles out. I clap my hands and grin from ear to ear as my husband crawls around on the ground looking for the perfect place to cut down our find.

The smell of fresh cut evergreen fills my nostrils, the oozing pitch sticks to my fingers, the prickly needles bite into my skin as we carry our perfect tree to the netting area.

Ah, Christmas — let the season of sparkling lights and magical moments begin!

Do you cut down your own tree? What’s your favorite part about tree hunting? Do you have a favorite kind of Christmas tree? I’m anxious to know dear readers.

Fun fact about me: I didn’t celebrate Christmas until I was in my early 20’s.

Word of the Day:  Oology

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, November 2014. Photos courtesy Google Images.

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Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

So the big turkey feast is behind us. The pilgrims and the pumpkins have gone back into their hiding place in the attic or garage and a new season of holiday mayhem, I mean, magic, is upon us.

So much to do! So much to see! So little time! Even less money! Black Friday! Cyber Monday! Shopping and wrapping and snacking, oh my!

That’s right my friends, it’s December, that frenzied, fantastical time of the year known as Christmas! There’s so much to love about Christmas. Who doesn’t love the corny classic movies, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Charlie Brown Christmas.? Or the tear-jerkers that still manage to make us laugh, Miracle on 34^th Street and my personal favorite, It’s A Wonderful Life!

It’s a time for egg nog, cranberries, and pumpkin flavored everything. It’s the only time of the year mistletoe is a welcome site and real trees are allowed into the house without the intent of using them in the fireplace. It’s time for traditions, silly hats, ugly sweaters and pajamas that are never to be worn any other time of the year. What’s not to love about Christmas?

My favorite part of the Christmas process, and it is a process that starts even before Halloween these days, is selecting just the right tree and then, putting all of my precious ornaments on it. Selecting the tree is always a team effort at my house. I plough through the glistening snow-covered forest pointing and analyzing while my husband trails along behind with the saw. What? I can’t properly analyze with a saw in my hand! Then I hold the perfect specimen while my husband hunkers down on the wet frozen ground to hack the thing off. When victory is ours, he hauls the tree to the truck while I carry the saw and cheerfully point out any potential pitfalls he might encounter along the way.

Once we get the awesome evergreen home, I hold the door while my husband finagles the twelve foot monster across the railing, around the porch swing and through the opening. You see, still a team effort. Now comes the fun part, he tilts and twists and spins the behemoth conifer whilst I stand back and say, “a little to the left,” “a little to the right.” This still requires a team effort because one person cannot do both things at the same time. Try it.

Once we are victorious with stabilizing the tree, the decorating begins. My husband insists on doing the lights and I happily oblige. After all, someone has to taste the wine to make sure it’s the appropriate vintage for the decorating ceremony. After the lights are aglow, I begin the painstaking process of choosing which spot on the tree is the perfect spot for each individual ornament. Heads up, this process can take hours so much wine is needed. It is also the only time my husband allows Christmas music to be played while he is home. (Oh my gosh, I’ve just realized that I may have married Scrooge.)

But, I digress. The actual point of this post is that I love Christmas and all of the craziness that goes along with it. I am so blessed to live in a country where I can freely enjoy such traditions and that I have a wonderfully accommodating husband who allows me to indulge in my crazy, anal-retentive holiday weirdness. For me, it’s not necessarily about what’s under the tree, but the whole process of finding the right tree and watching it sparkle every night for about thirty days. It’s an annual tradition that shall always be near and dear to my heart.

Tell me what makes Christmas special in your house.

Word of the day: Balisage

Fun fact about me: When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a truck driver when I grew up.

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