Welcome to BLOGMAS 2017 an added bonus to the weekly VLOGMAS on my YouTube channel!
These December posts are going to be all about Christmas. I'll answer a questions, post a picture (or two) and discuss something "Christmasy". Please feel free to share your answer in the comments below.
Today is day Two and today's question is:
What's your favorite Christmas Tradition?
My favorite Christmas tradition is getting our Christmas tree in West Seattle (and today is the day).
It's typically raining cats and dogs, our fingers are cold and we've forgotten our gloves at home. Most years, I pick out a tree that's too tall and we have to cut more of the bottom off to not only fit in the Christmas Tree Stand but so the top isn't touching the ceiling.
We get our tree at Home Depot. There is no hot chocolate or carolers or walks into the snowy woods with a hatchet in hand. Our trees most likely come from a plot of land out of state and harvested weeks ago. Each tree is wrapped up tight with sticky orange twine that makes it hard to see the shape of the tree. We always forget a pocket knife so Brian uses his car keys to try and slice through the twine (which never works).
We laugh like little kids and pull trees out right a left to see which one we will take home and when we find "hims" and I approve the top of the tree (the most important part of the Christmas Tree), my heart finds Christmas.
The guys at Home Depot help us load "hims" into the car...back seat down, trunk open and the tree is hanging out the back bound to the car with bungee cords. It's 1.5 miles home, but I am sure every year that the tree will end up in the middle of 35th and Morgan.
Putting "hims" into the stand is an art form that Brian has mastered. I hang onto the tree with both hand while Brian tightens the bolts on the tree stand around the massive trunk. It's takes the next 4 hours to decide if hims is leaning to the left or right before we finally give up and realize that the trunk is crooked!
Like a fine roasted slab of meat, the tree has to rest. We forgo the expensive tree tonic at Home Depot and Brian runs up to the smoke and shop and gets a large 7 UP. Our tree is jonesing for some sugar and the warm heat of the house to loosen him up.
I'm antsy, but the unleashing of the Christmas Closet begins and the tree is quietly waiting its turn. Then, as the sky darkens, the untangling of the lights begin. I want to string the lights from the top down and Brian wants to string them from the bottom up. I want more lights every year and most years, Brian relents to my demands (or I just sneak another strand of 100 while he's in the kitchen pouring the wine).
Nat King Cole is on the stereo and meatloaf is cooking in the kitchen and the fireplace is on and the tree is now fully decorated and my eyes well up with tears. This is the happiness of my life, the joys of my past, the traditions I share with my partner and the love of the holiday season.
The fact that the tree goes up on the 2nd of December this year means that the entire month will be filled with Christmas. Christmas has found it's home in our home and the joys of the holiday season have begun.
Enjoy!
Stacy
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