Trimming the Tree

Pizza - the "traditional" decorating the Christmas tree meal
Step 2 of setting up the tree
Jilly, the little one, gets the low branches
The little one gets the tall branches too . . . with help!

Mallory - the tall one

And she definitely doesn't need help to reach up high

The decorating is complete

This morning Peter and I brought up the red and green Christmas boxes with all of the decorations for around the house and the tree. While Peter shoveled the snow, I opened the boxes and began to unpack. It seemed as if each decoration had a story to tell - our story. There were ornaments the girls made in school at Hillview Preschool, Sacred Heart, Ferny Grove, Willmore Kindy, St Peters and Westridge and cinnamon ornaments that we made together. There were ornaments for important dates and ornaments from family and friends. We especially love the ornaments from Mallory's East Coast Grandparents (Ron & Nancy) who sent them to her wherever we were. You see, for Mallory's very first Christmas (at one month old) we were flying back to Colorado from West Virginia and had decided not to put up a tree that year since Mallory wouldn't know the difference. Nancy could not believe that we didn't have a tree for her, so for many years after that, she and Ron would send an ornament for her and then for Jillian after she was born - I think to ensure that we actually put up a tree for the girls.

After the girls got home from the sleepover with all of the cousins at Grammie's house, Peter put the tree together. We have two trees this year, and our big tree is the tree I woke up early (at the store by 6am) to get the day after Thanksgiving last year. It's beautiful, and even more beautiful now that Jillian and Mallory have finished decorating it. When they were little, I remember all of the ornaments being on the lower branches and all in one spot near the front of the tree. Mallory asked me if I moved the ornaments around when they were little, and I admit I was one of those mothers who did. But not this year. The tree is simple and beautiful and all of the ornaments are perfectly placed.

So now the trees are done (The theme for the little one is white and silver.), the decorations are up and our tummies are full of pizza (our "traditional" meal after decorating the tree). Christmas cards are next.

I love this time of year - from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and while I loved Australia, this time of the year there never felt right. Having snow on the ground outside was absolutely the perfect backdrop for decorating the tree. For me it was a sense of definitely being "home" -though I wonder what Mallory & Jillian consider home to be.