Tree trimming

Well, less than a week later than originally planned, our tree is finally decorated. We have two big boxes of ornaments that Megan loves to unpack and sort.











Nicholas always remembers that the breakable ornaments go on the top and the sturdy ones on the bottom (currently, because of the cats, although in recent memory, a certain toddler has inspired that orientation).












We always do the tree together (after David puts the lights on) and it is always lives up to the expectations. There is surprisingly little bickering, lots of good memories (like the story of Nicholas throwing one of Megan's glass ornament onto the tile floor of our foyer---of course we had guests -- and Megan's response? a very practical "that's ok, it wasn't one of my favorites anyway." Heaven help us if it had been.)













After all the ornaments are on, it is time to put the angel on the tree. From the time I was little, I put our family's angel on the tree. The prayer was written on a slip of paper tucked into the folds of her skirt, but I know it by heart: "Two small hands that touch in prayer, a golden halo in her hair, and on her back two silver wings, once each year my angel brings the Christmas story back to me as she rests on my Christmas tree." Now Megan performs the same duty for our angel. It's a bit of a problem when you are not QUITE long enough to reach yourself, but really too long to sit on your daddy's shoulders any more, but they managed!


Watch your nose, David!








And then, the final touch is the train around the base. We decided this year that 6 years old is really the earliest one can play independently with the train. Although he might not be able to put it back on the track wholly by himself, he at least understands that it CANNOT go full speed ahead without crashing.