Getting Set Up

We set up the tree a week ago tonight. (only a week delay on the post, that's pretty good). Sabine had come down with a little bit of a fever that evening, but you'd never have known to watch her running with excitement back and forth from the top of the steps to the living room while pieces of the tree and boxes of ornaments emerged from the basement.

As you can see, we do the artificial tree. I like it in that it's easy. It looks good. I'm not taking a living thing and killing it just to have a few weeks of beauty in my house. I don't like it in that it seriously has no soul. One of my greatest pleasures at Christmastime is sitting in the quiet presence of the tree. Lights on in the dark. A real tree brings its soul in to the home, and its scent. The fake one, not so much. But again, I'm glad not to be killing a souled being in the process. I just miss having a real one. I suppose I should get out in the woods sometime this week before school lets out (assuming Sabine will go to school at least one day this week)

Sabine loved watching all the pieces of the tree being assembled and she asked me several times: Why does the Christmas tree go in 3 parts? and Why does it live in a box in the basement?

Then we started pulling out ornaments which she totally loved. It is always a little nerve wracking because there's the balance of keeping the fragile things safe while also allowing her the joy of looking into each box and finding surprises along the way. This part is a little tinged with sadness for me because my huge assortment of Christmas ornaments and holiday decor came from my godmother who passed a few years ago. I like that I see the notes from her though. And everything in life is made more delightful by having an excited 3 year old around.
We finally came to the one she'd been missing and thinking of, probably since last Christmas. Christmas Duck. It's this little felt duck with sequins and a ribbon. We got it for her when she was one and she LOVES that little thing. Christmas Duck has been all over the house, has been on stroller rides, and often hangs out in her room. He has probably slept with her a few times.
We also let Sabine be in charge of much of the ornament placement on the tree. She loved it once she got the hang of opening the loops to slide them onto the branches.

Once when we were growing up, my younger brother took all the ornaments and lined them up on one single branch at the bottom of the tree. I can still see it! Well, ours doesn't look much different. There is a definite heaviness of decoration on the lower few branches... some branches holding more than one ornament. The top has a few that I wanted to pull out and the mid range of the tree is definitely a bit sparse. I keep looking at it thinking I should put more on, but can't get the motivation to crawl back down to the basement to get them out. They are constantly being rearranged as she decides who wants to sit beside her at dinner each night, or as the case may be, who wants to sit by her on the couch while she battles her cold and fever. (the drama of her first winter without school or nursing, poor little immune system takes a beating!)

People keep telling me how special 3 years old is for the Holidays. So i'm trying to really really wake up and pay attention. It won't come back around again. I hope to do a bit more documenting so I can, if not exactly remember, at least remind myself of her at this age time and time again.

XO