In Which I Put Up the Big Christmas Tree!

And so the other night, while we were sitting and talking, my husband suggested we put up the big Christmas tree this year. We had a cat for many years, and we didn't feel like fighting him over it, so we had not put up the big tree in a long while. But - he observed - we currently do NOT have a cat. So why not a Christmas tree?

Yes, we do have two tiny Christmas trees that we leave up all year long. Each one is about a foot high, and is placed about four feet off the ground, unreachable by cats (mostly, excepting your jumpy kittens). But a big tree? I thought about what it would take to do it, and I felt chagrined.

Where even WAS the big tree? Was it in the shed, with the mice? Was it behind a large cherry shelving unit downstairs, where all the rest of the Christmas stuff is, waaaaaaaay in the back? Were there lights that worked? How long would it take me to even get TO the decorations, let alone get them on the tree?

But one of my guidelines for a happy marriage is that if you love your spouse, you try to say Yes to the things that they ask for, if they are reasonable requests. And I suddenly realized that it was a reasonable request, and that I was probably being Grinchy, just focusing on all of the hassle involved in making it so.

And so it was that on Friday when we got home from our hike on the Lower Trail, we got into the shed, and I almost instantly found the tree. And we opened the box on the porch, and there were no mice inside (definitely good news). And we put it in the garage overnight to air out a bit.

And on Saturday afternoon, I got into the downstairs area that I fear the most, for it is packed full of stuff in front of it and all around it. Access is nearly impossible, which makes it tempting to simply BUY MORE STUFF rather than get out the stuff we already have. But no. Not this time.

So I moved boxes and containers and wrapping paper and gift bags and other big weird stuff. And found some things I didn't even know I had! (Hello, Stanley wet-dry vac, which has been sitting there, apparently for years, untouched. As well as a huge roasting tray. Both of which I got out and put them in more accessible places.) And so it was that I found two brand new boxes of Christmas lights, and enough of the decorations to put up the tree.

Our big point of discussion was where to even PUT the tree, as it is larger than it looks. It is probably six feet tall and three feet wide at the base. No, it did not fit on the table that I thought would work. Or the box. Or the file cabinet. So in the end, we simply moved a bunch of stuff from along the deck door windows, where our cat Dexter used to like to sit, or sleep in his box, and that's where we put the tree.

This was not my first rodeo, of course, so I plugged in both strings of lights FIRST, before putting them on the tree, just to make sure they worked. And they did! Hooray! And then I put together the tree, which was pretty darn easy, as all of the little branchy things had color coded tags on them, and fit into individual slots.

So I assembled the tree and put on the two strands of lights, and then I plugged it in to see how all the lights ended up, and whether I liked it like that, before I started adding other stuff: a couple of favorite Shiny Brite ornaments from the family collection, including that bright pink one right in the middle of the tree that my older sister Pat always hated, and tried to hide, because it was so bright and pink; and which (in response) we always, ALWAYS put right in the FRONT MIDDLE of the tree to tease her! (Are we chock full of the Christmas spirit, or what?)

And then the little things. Some shiny and sparkly little trees for ON the tree. And striped candy canes, and last but not least, a whole bunch of red ribbons, for red is a color of joy. My only regret is that I did not have any of that silvery tinsel stuff to really make it shine. I never put it on any of our trees while we had a cat, as the tinsel stuff is bad for cats, if eaten. I know I have some in the boxes further back behind that shelving unit, but odds are I won't get back in there again.

And then we pushed the tree into its spot, and lit it up, and T. Tiger got right up close and personal with the tree and pronounced it: "Quite Festive Indeed." In fact, that Tiger and his pals are hanging out under the tree right now, acting like it's Christmas morning. T. Tiger is not used to such a huge and wonderful tree!

So that is the story of putting up the tree. In the end, it took maybe three hours from start to finish on Saturday afternoon: putting the tree together, getting out the stuff, putting the stuff ON the tree, and then putting the extra Christmas stuff BACK where it goes so you won't be tripping all over it for weeks. Yes, my husband, it was a GOOD idea, and I am glad I did it! Maybe by next Christmas, we'll have a cat again, and who knows when again we'll have such a nice Christmas tree. . . .

I consulted with T. Tiger on the choice of music to go with our wonderful tree, and he suggested this one, which is a family favorite: the Royal Guardsmen, with Snoopy's Christmas. (Which was also a favorite of my big sister Barb, whom I remember with both laughter and tears at Christmas.)

Besides the fact that it is about SNOOPY and Snoopy is amazing, and a hero in our house, the takeaway from the song is that it is a tale of a moment of grace exchanged between strangers that changed things, which is all pretty darn awesome if you ask us. I don't know if you celebrate Christmas or not, but if you do, I wish you a happy one. (And yes, even if it IS sort of a pain, go ahead and get out those decorations, and PUT UP THAT TREE!)  :-)