'Tis the season

1. We got our Christmas tree this weekend. It was beautiful, albeit freezing, outside and we decided to learn our lesson from last year and go while sun was shining. (Last year, we passed up a beautiful sunny day because we had other things planned and then ended up cutting down our tree in the icy rain and mud the next day.) We went to a much less crowded place this time and found a great tree.

Sacha and I have been compromising on tree types since we got together nearly 9 years ago. She likes doug firs and I like the nobles, so we alternate years. Then, this year, we discovered the grand fir. It is like a cross between the doug and the noble - perfect! Luckily, we're fast decision-makers, so we found our tree without too much going back and forth. We're enjoying the ability to do it quickly now, before the kids get old enough to get involved in deciding! I am totally into this cutting-d0wn-the-tree-yourself thing. It takes about 5 minutes and is fun for all involved. While I was sawing, Sacha and the kids went across the trail and found a tree that was just Mateo's height, which wowed him about as much as you might expect. Now it's home and all decorated and the whole house smells delicious.

2. Sacha and I have a (now, not so) secret affinity for Christian music. Neither one of us is exactly Christian, but the music is just so uplifting most of the time! So the local station is on our preset list in the car and we found ourselves listening to it on the way home from getting the tree. Turns out, these days it's all Christmas music, all the time! We were all feeling very Christmas-y as it was, so that just added to it. We turned the chorus of "Ding Dong Merrily On High" - "Gloooooria, in excelsis deo" - into "Glooooooria, in excelsis tickle Mateo!" and that was quite well received. He kept saying, that's not how it goes!, but then begging for more.

3. This time of year always brings up my feelings about Christmas itself. As I mentioned above, I wouldn't call myself Christian, but I do believe in God and I love the rituals of the Christmas season. There's something about celebrating new life and hope in a season of cold and darkness that gets me every time. This has been especially true since we've had the kids in our lives. All those songs about welcoming baby Jesus and celebrating his birth always make me think about our kids' births and our feelings of joy and euphoria when they came into the world...and beyond that, how every child should be celebrated and welcomed that way on their first day.

Anyway, all of this is to say that Christmas is feeling particularly fun and celebratory this year. Now that Mateo's old enough to get excited about it, he's taking us all along for the ride. Every time we dare to turn the tree lights off, he notices and asks to have the tree turned on again. And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go turn on the tree before he wakes up from his nap!