Tree Trauma

I have been excited to put up my new pre-lit Christmas tree since Dec. 26 of last year. I got it on clearance from Tai Pan at a steal of a deal. After our patience was lost with stringing the lights last year, I figured that this year I would make it easier on the both of us. Boy, was I wrong.

I pulled out my brand new 9-foot tree and we started to put it together. When the big moment arrived to light the tree (picture your favorite holiday movie) nothing happened. NOTHING. So we got to work figuring out what could possibly be wrong. We called our parents, we started searching every one of the 1000+ lights and popped in Harry Potter. When that became too daunting, we decided to take the tree back - on the busiest shopping day of the year - with a receipt that said, FINAL SALE.

After the Christmas Spirit was lost so fast over non-working lights, I decided to at least decorate the house to see if I could bring some of the holiday light. I have to say that my little snowman caroling family did the trick for me! Aren't they adorable? I love snowmen. I got out my olive wood nativity from Bethlehem and things started to look festive. Enough that Dallin even suggested not getting a tree this year.

Black Friday rolled around and we had a great time at the movies with my family

and my grandpa who hadn't been to the theater since The Sound of Music. It was fun to introduce him to that new experience.

We went home and decided to tackle the crowds and fix the tree. I went to back my car out to put in the tree and it wouldn't start! WHAT?!? I thought lids were going to be flipped. We decided to handle one thing at a time and loaded the tree into Dallin's car. We headed to the store and explained our situation. They took pity on me as I was almost in tears about my Christmas tree I bought last year and how it was working on the floor, then they loaded it up into this box and it had ornaments and glitter all over it now so I'm not sure it's even my tree and all the lights are burned out but I've never even turned it on. They told me to keep it hush-hush and to go pick out a new tree. Tears were shed, Christmas was saved.

We went back to the lot and spent an hour agonizing over the perfect tree. We narrowed it down to two and slowly narrowed it to THE tree. I had bought all new ornaments that fateful Dec. 26 day and had to have the best tree to go with my gold, burnt orange and brown decorations. We paid the difference (well worth it for not having to go through 1000 lights and branches that had already eaten our hands) and loaded up our new tree.

We got home and put it together and there was light! We spread out the branches and decorated for hours. And the tree turned out to be everything and more I'd hoped it would be.