An Elf That NEEDS A Shelf

The old tree

There's a story behind our Christmas tree.

About ten years ago, we went shopping for our usual live Christmas tree at one of the local tree farms where we had gone in other years.  For some reason, that year we were hit with sticker shock.  Add that to our feeling that was increasing over the years that it just wasn't a very "green" thing to be doing, unless we were willing to spend an even larger price for a Christmas tree with a root ball that we could plant in our yard after the holidays.  We weren't.

So, we purchased our first artificial Christmas tree, and we've been using it ever since.

Our four grown children seem somewhat attached to it.  Perhaps it has something to do with the broken branch in the bottom section, that large one that hangs straight down and always needs to be turned to the wall.

That broken limb was the result of someone accidentally diving headfirst down into the tree one year.  (Moi.)  A package had gotten pushed way back behind the tree, and in leaning over the arm of my chair to reach it, the chair became the fulcrum.  Down went my head and up went my feet.

Everybody was laughing hilariously at good old mom, who actually could not upright herself without a bit of a hoist.  They continued to fall all over themselves and each other laughing.  I think I peed myself a little bit.  They probably all peed themselves a lot.  They are still, years later, talking about the incident with smiles and snorting laughter.

That tree is now ten years old, and the husband/lover/tree assembler and I decided it is time for a new one.  We will put the old one in its box out on the curb with a FREE sign, and perhaps someone who needs a tree will take it and give it a good new home.

We decided to get something a little different this time, and so last Saturday we went out on our tree-finding mission.  At one of our stops, we both had that Ah-Ha moment, as we looked at a tall, snow-flocked tree.

It was different.

It was pretty.

It was the right size.

The supervisor has arrived.

So we purchased it and brought the box home.  There it sat in our living room, in the box, for the next two days while Clark Griswold the hubby worked on the exterior decorations.

Last night the tree went up.  Well, kinda.

I don't know if other households are like ours, but we rarely get it all done in one fell swoop.  It usually takes days,  sometimes even weeks, until the whole shebang is done.  Last night my husband informed me that he "just wanted to get it up and put it in its place, and then I could do the rest."  I smiled.  He has such a way with words.

There was about an hour or so of shushling those branches around and into place, and a few under-the-breath grumbles about the "snow" all over the floor, but before too long it was up and looking good.  He moved it into its place and vacuumed up the mess.

We all admired it for a few moments, and since it was too late to start on the tree trimming, we went back to our business.

Most of us, that is.

The elf in the house, son Caleb, was down off his shelf and making mischief with our new tree.  He helped himself to some of our large 10 inch exterior Christmas balls, and went to town.

Here is the scene that greeted us this morning.   The tree is beautiful, but aren't the proportions just a little off?

That elf needs a shelf, and I have a feeling this won't be the last of his holiday mischief.

Stay tuned, it's obvious that I have some fixing to do.