O Christmas Tree

It was raining in a drizzly down your collar sort of way instead of snowing in a White Christmas Sleighbells Jingling kind of way, but a promise had been made and so it was kept.
















There was enough residual snow to suggest winter, and certainly enough for Skaterboy to scrape together enough snowballs to annoy his sister, and so we set off across the fields last Sunday to find that perfect tree.



















We walked and walked, perusing White Pine, Scotch Pine and Blue Spruce. "Here's a nice one" and "What about this one?" was interspersed with "You guys are so stingy - this is the perfect $60 tree" and "You've got to be kidding me - that tree looks pregnant", and as it grew dark we despaired for the perfect tree.















But then, as dusk fully fell and all our toes succumbed to frostbite, the perfect tree was discovered. Dave made us sing O Christmas Tree and dance around it before he would cut it down, which even the twins were embarrassed about, but luckily it was too dark for anyone to see us by then. Finally, our Christmas Tree was hauled triumphantly back to the lodge and wrapped to come home.















Then the decorating commenced. With happy fervor the tree was set upon, and all our decorations hauled out to be remembered and reminisced over before being set carefully on the tree.



















We did bemoan our lack of fireplace, but cranked up the heater and made do.






































Once the tree was decorated we turned out the overhead light and performed Pagan rituals around it, like dancing wildly to Wham - 'Last Christmas' and Frank Sinatra, until bedtime.



















It's very beautiful, standing there in the corner of the living room, and I don't think it will matter how many times I do this, I'll never quite get over the shock and delight of rediscovering that there is a real live tree, covered in twinkly lights, actually in my house.