Meet Jack Frost

Welcome Jack Frost, our 2011 Christmas Tree!
The past five years here in Arlington, we've been getting live trees for Christmas. Then, after all the festivities are done in January, we plant it in our yard to re-forest.

By we, I of course mean ME, since I'm the one who plants them. Thomas usually says that he doesn't know how to dig a hole or that his arms don't work the same as mine or that he was never very good at digging holes and I'm way better at it. He really is Tom Sawyer.

Anyhoo ... the kids have had the opportunity to name each tree. There has been thus far: Ike, Charlie, Mento, Cratchet, and Alfie (not any particular order). Two died. One by the hand of an over-zealous landscaper who shall remain nameless and the other because I didn't get it into the ground in January. Actually I'm amazed any of them lived since I NEVER get any tree into the ground before January. It's usually around May or so.

This year I've made a promise to Jack Frost that it's root ball WILL be in the ground by the end of January.

I love our decorations. They're old and nothing matches and I'm perfectly fine with that.

Mom used to decorate our trees with traditional decorations. Then one year, she announced that she wanted a "Theme" tree - whatever that meant, we weren't sure. But we were to see very soon. She got rid of all our old favorite decorations and replaced them with theme colors. One year it was red and gold. The next, pink and brown. The next, white flocked tree with pink and gold. On and on every year with a color theme.

I was sort of sad not to have our old decorations but she said she was tired of decorating the same way each year.

So I've made a promise to myself not to change our decorations. It makes the kids so happy to see their old favorites. And if we add to them once in awhile, then great. Maybe something special from Leavenworth or a place we visit.