I received my first Christmas card yesterday, from Canadian friends now living and working in the States. I’m always shocked to get a card so early in December. I’m no grinch, but I don’t even think about things like Christmas cards until the middle of the month. Don’t get me wrong—our Christmas lights have been up for two weeks (but that was My Liege’s doing), and we’ll probably flag our tree at the local Christmas tree farm this weekend (but that’s because, if you don’t flag it early, they won’t have any left and we’d have to trudge into the bush and cut our own, which doesn’t seem right when they plant and sell them just down the road). Eldest Son is coming home on the 14th, so if we flag the tree this weekend, the day he gets home is the day we’ll go cut the tree. I know he’s looking forward to the experience, as it’s one of our family traditions.
That said, if he weren’t coming home from university, would I have my tree up before the middle of the month? Um, nope, not me. As a kid, if my mom didn’t have presents under the tree at least 10 days before Christmas, I’d panic. However, until a year or maybe two ago, since we’ve had kids I haven’t put ANY presents under our own tree until Christmas Eve. Eldest Son cured us of putting presents under the tree early before he was one, because of course he tried to open them. And it always seemed more magical to me to put the presents under the tree once the kids were asleep, then see their faces light up Christmas morning.
A friend of mine in the States puts up her tree Thanksgiving weekend. Is this a common occurrence? Thanksgiving decorations (if you decorate) come down, and Christmas ones go up? Who here is willing to raise their hands and admit they are holiday crazy? What are your family traditions that you look forward to every year? Getting the tree? Trimming it? (I’m actually not crazy about trimming it, but this year I remembered to buy new lights!!) (I marked it on my calendar last January so I wouldn’t forget).
Anyone name their tree? That’s our family tradition. I named the first Christmas tree that My Liege and I had before we were married (it was actually a big plant). I think its name was Mulligan. Don’t ask me why. That year, the year before we were married and were living in sin, I also bought a year-dated ornament, candy canes shaped into “1984.” So then of course the next year, I bought a “first Christmas together” ornament dated 1985. Every year since then I buy one new dated ornament. These things aren’t always easy to find, so some years I wind up buying a regular ornament and writing on the year myself. I’m especially partial to dated ornaments that allow you to insert a picture. I love seeing pictures of all my pets, past and present, and pictures of the kids when they were babies, then teenagers, etc., hanging all over my tree.