Turkish Firs Are A Menace

(by Homer)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. finally. After a weekend of Christmas activities our home has that glow and smell that comes with a fresh, decorated tree, warm homemade cookies, hot glue and Crayola markers.

On Saturday, Faith headed off to choir practice, while the rest of us prepared our apartment for the addition of a tree in our living room. Around noon we picked up Faith and headed off to run our list of errands. After going through the drive-thru of a local burger place for lunch we were off to the storage unit to pick up our tree trimmings and Christmas decorations. Then it was off to Walmart for some last-minute meal items, new stockings for the family (since the ones we currently had were three years old and didn’t have Alicia’s or Eldon’s name on them). Once all the boring stuff was done it was off to the Christmas tree lot to pick this year’s winner. I have gone to the same lot for my tree for the last 3 years. They are usually very pretty trees for a reasonable price. As we exited the car the kids began to squirm and wiggle with anticipation as if somewhere deep in their brains their primitive instincts to run naked in the forest were kicking back in. I set some basic guidelines for how tall our tree should be and Alicia and I turned them loose. After Alicia and I got their clothes back on we focused on finding a tree. Amidst the barrage of “I want this one!” Alicia and I located one that we both liked and called the kids over. Now some of you will understand why we didn’t actually let the kids pick the tree, and some of you won’t. If we had actually let the kids pick the tree, we’d have come home with two trees. Faith stuck next to Alicia’s side and agreed with everything she said, while the boys teamed up and picked one of their own. I eventually (and wisely) decided that the girls’ tree was the one. It was a Nordeman, a.k.a. a Turkish Fir. The two-toned needles made it look as though there was snow on the tree. We paid the men and they strapped it to Alicia’s little red car.

Once we got home and got the groceries and decorations in the house I headed down to get the tree. I wrestled it up three flights of stairs and into the living room where I began my meticulous work trimming branches from the bottom to give the tree a balanced look. I treated it like my own private Bonsai tree. When I was finished, it went into the new stand, carefully balanced and leveled to look just right. Then I strung the lights and made sure they were ready to go.

Alicia set to work making homemade pizza (including the dough). Then she started on the homemade cookies while I sat the kids down for a little arts and crafts. After distributing three wooden clothespins, markers and foam rubber paper to each person we got to work making our 2008 Christmas tree ornaments – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Each person put their own personality and style into their ornament. They turned out really well.

The cookies were done and so it was time to decorate the tree. The kids tore into the boxes of ornaments playfully enjoying the moment of unbridled creativity. They hung and ate, hung and ate. Christmas music played softly in the background creating just the right mood. In about 20 minutes the kids were done and they stood back to enjoy their masterpiece. The tree looked as if Christmas had thrown up on the tree. Alicia and I looked at each other with understanding as we telepathically communicated “we’ll fix it when they got to bed.”

And fix it we did. Well, Alicia did. Again, I wisely stayed out of the way and shouted words of affirmation and encouragement. When she was done we had a beautiful Christmas tree that we could enjoy for the next few weeks and promptly dismantle, unceremoniously.

On Sunday after church we headed back home and ate a casual lunch. After lunch we changed our clothes and headed into Ogden Canyon to a spot near the river where we took our family pictures. Each of us were adorned with sweaters and scarves. We located a spot near the Ogden River with large boulders, perfect for a family of five. The cold air and a nearly-dead battery in the camera shortened our experience, but thankfully we captured the moment.

And that’s it. It was a great weekend. Presents are starting to appear under the tree now. The house has that fresh tree scent. And there’s no doubt that this crew has somehow formed a family.