Ahhh...Christmas!

"...freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin - inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night..." -John Geddes

Christmas...ahhh...the very word makes me feel all warm and cheese fonduey inside. This is what Jonah and I have been doing all day. I will devote another post to this precious tradition of ours.

This post is all about our Christmas tree. We were frightened that our favorite Christmas Tree stand wouldn't come into town this year, but much to our delight, we spotted them setting up shop the night before Thanksgiving. Christmas tree shopping happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The children have dubbed this the official day to set up Christmas. I have little choice in the matter.

So off to Robinson Tree Farm it was. It seemed only right that we at least bundle up into a light jacket for tree shopping even though it was a balmy 60 degrees outside. Nature is being just plain freaky this Christmas, but with a child commuting to and from Logan every other week, I'm not complaining. One must stop for a "Bigfoot Sighting" photograph whilst tromping through rows of pine trees.

This one was a winner. One of the first trees we looked at. Sepia seemed appropriate for this photo as this tradition is as old as our family is. I can see that Jonah decided to forego the jacket.

The rack on our van gets used for little more than the transporting of our yearly Christmas tree. Held on by no more than a piece of twine, I'm sure every year that Neil will stop fast at a light and launch our pricey tree across the road, causing a ten car pile up. But every year the twine holds and the tree makes it home safe and sound.

Somehow all of our Christmas decorations made the move. All except Christoph, the nutcracker we bought in Koln Germany last year. After a two hour panic attack, we found him in Grandpa's basement storage room. The one irreplaceable item of our Christmas decor would end up missing. Don't ever do that again Christoph!

There is something about a family's first Christmas in a new house. It's almost like it's not our house until we've had Christmas in it.

The kids get to buy a new ornament for the tree each year. We usually try to get an ornament when we're traveling, so the kids have a whole box of reminders of the many adventures we've been on and the many beautiful places we've seen. We're going for a record for just how shaggy Jonah's hair can get before we finally cut it.

We couldn't set up Christmas without our favorite college student who took a break from mad cello practicing to put a few ornaments on the tree. She took her two favorite cello ornaments to hang in her car then rushed out the door to trek back up to Logan. Too hard to practice when your mother keeps forgetting that you're not five and insists you stop practicing to participate in warm family traditions. No time for traditions when sheer and imminent juries loom in the near future.

That night Sabrina and Spencer did their debut performance of Scrooge. I can't wait to see them perform in this my favorite Christmas story.

These days, this is all any of us want to do on cold, okay somewhat cool, December evenings. We just want to sit in front of the warm fire and take in deep smells of that fresh-off-the-mountain pine, and watch the lights dance across our tree's branches and think about Him who gave us everlasting life. 

If you need me, I'll be right here:)