Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sprucing It Up

First, let me get this off my chest: today is the first day of winter. First. Day. And we're celebrating with a current temperature of 3 degrees Fahrenheit BELOW zero, and a wind chill at 26 BELOW zero. People, it is cold. And did I mention it's only beginning?

Happy Winter Solstice. Yippity doodley ding dang da.

Moving on.

We put up our Christmas tree today! After running around the nearest largeish town, a half hour's drive away, hoping someone would be discounting their precut trees since it's only a few days before Christmas and no one's gonna buy them after Christmas, donchaknow, and finding the $35 price tags still intact, we came home and cut one of our blue spruces which were planted too close together anyway, but are awefully fat and untamed for Christmas trees.

Whew! Nothing like a run-on sentance to get a blog post off on the right foot.




Nathan braved the bitter cold and got the tree to the proper height (pretty much the top half of the tree) and then brought it in a got creative with the support apparatus, as well as with his choice words about Christmas trees and the putting up thereof.





Jonah, meanwhile, manned the snack wagon.






He was able to break away from his duties, however, to help with stringing lights. (Which we didn't turn on because the tree was dripping wet. And I later discovered that a whole string is... not working).






So we put on some Nat King Cole Christmas music and set to work.




Nathan was telling Jonah what the tree means. He started with the shape being symbolic of the Trinity.

Daddy: "Jonah, do you know why we have a Christmas tree?"

Jonah: "Um... I dunno!"

D: "Well... there's a story for it. First of all, what shape is it?"

J: "Uhhh... a rectangle."





Hm... it is awfully rectangular...




Oh, what a sad, little cheesball of a Christmas tree. We always joke that our Christmas trees look like dumpy old ladies dressed up in drag. And they always do. And we like them just fine.

4 comments:

  1. It's pretty! I like the natural look.

    Maybe you guys should get busy and put a few little seedlings in around the property for future Christmas trees. Or, one a year so that you don't have, like, five ready to cut at once.

    Are those pigs in a blanket??

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  2. Ahhhhh Nat King Cole....

    Anyway, that tree thing reminded me....
    Let me get into my I'm-so-smart-cause-I'm-taking-an-awesome-history-class-and-you-aren't-cause-it's-to-cool-for-you-mode and tell you about something I found in my text book.
    So, back in the Roman times, this group of men called the Mithraists (sorry, none of this is relevant, I'm just trying to be smart) worshiped the sun and happen to worship the sun on, well, Sunday (getting closer...closer.....) and the sun god's birthday happen to be December 25 (Oh! There it is!), coincidence? I think not. Happy Birthday Sun! Where ever you happen to be at this time, cause I can't see ya....

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  3. Yeah, Mom, pigs in a blanket... with, I'm ashamed to admit, coughstoreboughtcroissantrolldoughcough. SO not Martha.

    Lyss-- Hmmm... Very interesting. Here, let me get all smart on your behind: Yeah, and all the days of the week are rooted in planetary/mythological beliefs. MOONday, SATURNday, THORSday, etc. Most of our now-Christian holidays got their start in paganism, sadly enough. But we've taken them and "given them to God" as Luther said.

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  4. And the "pigs?" Nitrate free?
    So very you! But easy.
    I have some hand-me-down veggie dogs in the freezer and since I am poor and without income, may use for an appetizer Christmas Eve. Cut them up and call them Vienna Sausages. Or Viennese Wurst in tangy sauce. or something.

    And if you look at that storeboughtpackage, I think it says "cresent" and not "croissant".

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