Making Christmas Memories

On Sunday we spent the afternoon searching for the perfect tree. We have had such bad luck with our trees over the years that there has been some serious contemplation about just getting a fake tree, but then the beauty and the smell wins out and we get a real one. One year the tree actually lost almost all its needles and was totally crunchy a week after we bought it. That year we bought a second tree. Then the next year the tree fell, twice. We actually tied a piece of rope around it and anchored it to wall. And pretty much every year after that, the tree has fallen. Even last year the tree leaned so much every night I was sure it was going to fall until one day it did.

This year we bought a new stand (probably should have done that in the first place) and made sure that the tree was not side heavy. We actually went to 3 different locations looking for one that fit in our budget and passed the Little G standard. She “scrutinized” every tree we looked at.

















I let the kids pretty much do all the decorating this year while we watched Elf (one of the funniest Christmas movies of all time) and I attempted to take some great pictures. (You know like the ones you see on Christmas cards and ads.)However the kids were moving so fast most of the pictures turned out not great at all. But we all had a lot of fun putting on our favorite ornaments. When it was all done, I let Little G take one of me while putting on the angel.

Isn’t she so adorable? I totally love her.

 
Every year, we have these lofty ideas that the fun Christmas activities planned are going to look like a Norman Rockwell painting. Full of love, joy, peace and good cheer. No bad attitudes or melt downs. But the reality is that life is messy and full of unexpected melt downs and attitudes. But in the end the memories that are made are not those from a Dickens novel but instead those of the real story of life.

How we respond to the tree falling and the unexpected melt down of a little one is key to making those magical memories.

If we respond to the non-magical moments with love, joy, peace and grace; the memories will still be magical. If we respond with frustration or even anger then the memories won’t be worth the effort. And really today I can laugh that for the past 8 years, our tree has fallen over at some point. (Except the 3 years we had a 3 foot fake one because of moving and life.)

I am hoping that this year, all of Little G's scrutinizing (and a new stand) means that the tree will not topple over.