Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Tree!
When I was little every year we went to my grandparents house for Christmas and all holidays really from New Years day to the very last holiday on the calendar we went there to celebrate something and sometimes birthdays in between. But, since they are both gone now, passed away holidays don't really seem the same. Although, we used to celebrate everything with my grandmother my mom was never much into holidays at all. Especially when every year we had to decorate a huge Christmas tree at my grandmother's house. I think that my step grandfather thought that it was our thing and my mom liked to do it. He was wrong she really didn't but just did it for us basically and them. It would take hours to decorate their 7 foot tall tree and they had tons of decorations, I wish I had them for my tree, but it seemed like every year they would buy more and my step grandfather would come trotting down the stairs with more and more boxes of them he got from the attic. And of course every single year since I was born probably one string of lights didn't work and that string was usually at the very top of the tree. We would test them before we put them on the tree and it was something about when they got on the tree they decided nope not going to work. So, every year we would have to unhook all the lights and take that string off. I think that is why my mom didn't like decorating so much.My aunt, my moms sister always said she was going to help but every year had some excuse of why she couldn't come. My mom would tell her that she didn't help decorate but she sure came to eat. I would always chuckle when she said it under my breath though. Then me and my sister and the cousins would try to sneak some eggnog, the adult eggnog that we were not supposed to have. We never were successful though because it was guarded by an adult at all times. We were stuck with punch or cider.
Looking back those were the days as they say. So, since they passed away about 12 and 13 years ago we never had a really big tree. There living room was big so a big tree was cool for them. I think that my step grandfather thought the bigger the better and my grandmother thought he was nuts. But, nonetheless, I grew up with big huge Christmas trees. Well, we never quite had a house or living room as big as theirs, except for the brief time we lived there after my grandmother died. And so when my son was around 4 we decided to get an artificial tree because the year before we went to a car lot where they were selling trees on Christmas Eve and this man tried to sell us a table top tree for $35 and there was no way my mom was going to pay that for any kind of tree that was not planted in the yard afterwards and she told the guy that too. He thought she was nuts but she was serious. He wouldn't lower the price so that year we were treeless. We had just moved to a new place from my grandmother's house and it was a smaller apartment then this one and so that year the only decorations we had were Christmas stockings taped to the wall. It was the first time we didn't have any kind of tree. The next year while we were grocery shopping at a place near my apartment we noticed a craft store had a big sign out for 4.5 trees for 50% off and that was my mom's kind of sale. So, we got one, an artificial one, for the first time ever, for around $25. That has been our tree for the past almost 8 years now.
A couple months before Halloween, when all the holiday catalogs come out, I got a catalog in the mail with Christmas trees in them, it had all kinds of trees and decorations in it and I said to my mom how about a bigger tree this year. She shrugged and said made a face that was similar to the face you would make if you ate a lemon or something sour. I think that she had a flashback of decorating HUGE trees for hours and hours and the one string of lights that never worked. I assured her that she would not have to decorate it she could just watch me and my son do it and she said to me, "Whatever you want." So, I choose a 7.5 foot tree. (At least I think it is that tall or 6 feet one or the other) and put it in the garage when it arrived since it was only mid October. So, the day after Thanksgiving, which is early for us, my son and I dragged it from the garage up the stairs, with him complaining that it was heavy and I took the light end. (as if there was a light end) but we got it in the house. My mom looked at the size of the box, the height of the box, and she asked where on earth was I going to put it. I looked at her like I don't know. My son suggested in the kitchen. I told him that it was a good idea ( I kind of lied) but no the kitchen was too small even if we did move the table out of the way like he suggested. So, there was an odd and old blow up chair int he living room taking up space because nobody really sat on it and the bottom was deflated where you would sit on it if you wanted to which nobody really did. So, when my son was outside in the front skateboarding I dragged it to the top of the steps, it was not heavy thank goodness, and told him I was going to roll it down the stairs so watch out and he took it from there after pretending it knocked him down which it didn't. It is more balloonish if anything. So, he put it in the garage for me and there is where I put the tree. Only thing I forgot that when you grab the top of the tree it disconnects from the middle where it comes together cause it is in pieces so when I grabbed the top to move it the top came off and my mom and son were cracking up at me holding the top of the tree. I laughed too.
So, anyway, after I got the top back on and after my son took his time about helping me decorate because decorating a tree was not as fun as skateboarding with his friends, we finally got it decorated with the few decorations that we had. For the little tree we had enough. For this one well....Let's just say that the dollar store will see us soon in the Christmas section.
The tree is up the lights work and the only complaint my mom has now is that she has to turn her head to the side to see it. I laughed and said well, next year if we are still living here I will move the chairs around so she can see it better. She laughed and said that was okay she was glad that she can still turn her head. And with that we all had a glass of sparkling cider just like in the old days.
Looking back those were the days as they say. So, since they passed away about 12 and 13 years ago we never had a really big tree. There living room was big so a big tree was cool for them. I think that my step grandfather thought the bigger the better and my grandmother thought he was nuts. But, nonetheless, I grew up with big huge Christmas trees. Well, we never quite had a house or living room as big as theirs, except for the brief time we lived there after my grandmother died. And so when my son was around 4 we decided to get an artificial tree because the year before we went to a car lot where they were selling trees on Christmas Eve and this man tried to sell us a table top tree for $35 and there was no way my mom was going to pay that for any kind of tree that was not planted in the yard afterwards and she told the guy that too. He thought she was nuts but she was serious. He wouldn't lower the price so that year we were treeless. We had just moved to a new place from my grandmother's house and it was a smaller apartment then this one and so that year the only decorations we had were Christmas stockings taped to the wall. It was the first time we didn't have any kind of tree. The next year while we were grocery shopping at a place near my apartment we noticed a craft store had a big sign out for 4.5 trees for 50% off and that was my mom's kind of sale. So, we got one, an artificial one, for the first time ever, for around $25. That has been our tree for the past almost 8 years now.
A couple months before Halloween, when all the holiday catalogs come out, I got a catalog in the mail with Christmas trees in them, it had all kinds of trees and decorations in it and I said to my mom how about a bigger tree this year. She shrugged and said made a face that was similar to the face you would make if you ate a lemon or something sour. I think that she had a flashback of decorating HUGE trees for hours and hours and the one string of lights that never worked. I assured her that she would not have to decorate it she could just watch me and my son do it and she said to me, "Whatever you want." So, I choose a 7.5 foot tree. (At least I think it is that tall or 6 feet one or the other) and put it in the garage when it arrived since it was only mid October. So, the day after Thanksgiving, which is early for us, my son and I dragged it from the garage up the stairs, with him complaining that it was heavy and I took the light end. (as if there was a light end) but we got it in the house. My mom looked at the size of the box, the height of the box, and she asked where on earth was I going to put it. I looked at her like I don't know. My son suggested in the kitchen. I told him that it was a good idea ( I kind of lied) but no the kitchen was too small even if we did move the table out of the way like he suggested. So, there was an odd and old blow up chair int he living room taking up space because nobody really sat on it and the bottom was deflated where you would sit on it if you wanted to which nobody really did. So, when my son was outside in the front skateboarding I dragged it to the top of the steps, it was not heavy thank goodness, and told him I was going to roll it down the stairs so watch out and he took it from there after pretending it knocked him down which it didn't. It is more balloonish if anything. So, he put it in the garage for me and there is where I put the tree. Only thing I forgot that when you grab the top of the tree it disconnects from the middle where it comes together cause it is in pieces so when I grabbed the top to move it the top came off and my mom and son were cracking up at me holding the top of the tree. I laughed too.
So, anyway, after I got the top back on and after my son took his time about helping me decorate because decorating a tree was not as fun as skateboarding with his friends, we finally got it decorated with the few decorations that we had. For the little tree we had enough. For this one well....Let's just say that the dollar store will see us soon in the Christmas section.
The tree is up the lights work and the only complaint my mom has now is that she has to turn her head to the side to see it. I laughed and said well, next year if we are still living here I will move the chairs around so she can see it better. She laughed and said that was okay she was glad that she can still turn her head. And with that we all had a glass of sparkling cider just like in the old days.
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