Our first Christmas tree

I know I'm a little late in posting this one, but the holidays have us running around like headless chickens. Okay, maybe not that bad, but every time I want to sit down and blog, there's something else I have to do. Actually, there are loads of other things I have to do right now (laundry...thank you cards...stockings...etc...) but I am choosing to do this first because I love it. 

I'm sitting on our couch futon in our lovely living room, staring at our amazing Christmas tree. We got started early this year. I have always always always had a real Christmas tree. And E has always always always had a fake an artificial tree. So quite the conundrum. What to do? I am not ready to part ways with my real tree experience/tradition, so (thankfully) we agreed on getting a real tree this year, and then next year we can see what we want to do (I already know what I want to do...but we'll go with that). SOOOO  - when we found out that Costco was going to be selling 7-8 ft Nobel trees for only$44 (!) we jumped at the chance.  I think that tree pricing is different based on where you live, but I am used to this size tree costing upwards from $70...so this was an amazing deal!  

So last week when I got home from work on Saturday morning (Dec.1!!), we went out and found us a tree!  It was odd not to be at the cozy tree lot, but the smell was incredible, and I still did the ever-important taste-test (yes, I taste the tree... it's just a nibble of the pine needle. A very important lesson learned from Molly the American Girl when I was 8 - so there).  We bought a stand and some ornaments and when I went off to take my nap, E got the bottom trimmed and put the stand on and set it up in our living room.  

We didn't actually get to decorate until a few days later when we were both home from work and just about ready to settle in for a long winter's nap.  We made some perfect hot chocolate and played the fire place On Demand from our TV, Christmas music included.  It was so much fun. I can't say it wasn't a little odd though, going through brand new boxes of ornaments just the two of us and not having boxes full of old traditional ornaments from childhood and family around to reminisce with. It was weird not having all those little pieces to decorate with, a nativity, little snow globes or nick-nacks to put out. But I suppose in time we will start to collect all of those, and Christmas won't seem so new anymore. It's a season full of mixed feelings and newness, but (thankfully!) the biggest feeling of them all is LOVE.   

XO,

p.s. E's moustache was for a charity fundraiser at work and has (thankfully!) been shaved since! :{D <-- moustache face