Lighting the Tree

Jesus may be the 'Reason for the Season' but I'm fairly certain that Christmas lights were invented by Satan.

Last Friday morning I began the daunting task of putting our Christmas tree together.

Yes, I have an artificial tree because, in theory, it's more efficient to just leave the lights on tree every year when I store it away and then the next year all I have to do is plug it in and throw on some ornaments.

In theory.

It's never actually happened that way in the 16 years that I've had this tree but after an entire year you sort of forget the bad parts.

Kind of like child birth.

Anyway, after 4 burned out strands, a trip to CVS (where they wanted $13 for a box of lights) and then Target (where I got them for $3 a box), a few colorful words, multiple hand and arm scratches, 1 crated dog, lots of barking, 10 cable ties, several hours of wondering,

 'Is it too early in the day for peppermint schnapps?', and partridge in a pear tree...

I finished putting lights on my tree.

I painstakingly decorated the tree, placing each ornament delicately and symmetrically on by size, shape and color until it was balanced beautifully and finished.

I even got all of the storage boxes put back in the attic and my house cleaned and ready for a visit from my cousin and her family on Saturday.

I was feeling pretty good about myself Friday night.

 And all day Saturday.

 And yesterday morning while I sat next to my lit up tree enjoying a cup of coffee.

I left the living room briefly to grab my camera so I could take a few pictures of my tree to share.

My back was turned for maybe 15 seconds and when I turned around, I was struck with HORROR!

AN ENTIRE SECTION RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE WAS OUT!

My heart broke a tiny bit along with a large chunk of my Christmas spirit.

I had no intention of replacing the evil strand of lights that had obviously been sabotaged by Satan and his pestiferous light-killing elves.

Our tree would simply sit there until December 26^th in all its unlit stripe-ed-y ugliness and suffer like the rest of us.

But that was yesterday.

Today, I remembered that it's not about me and my 'light plight.'

It's about my kids and their joy when they walk in the front door after school and see the tree that has been there every Christmas of their lives, warmly lit up and full of ornaments they have helped collect over the years, welcoming them home each day of this magical season.

My kids about 10 Christmases ago

My kids last Christmas

I guess I know what I'm doing this week.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney