Well, in the past week of studying for exams, researching for papers, and trying to get some shopping done before the cold weather hit (and before Brian was off work), my daily photos have sort of gone by the wayside. I think—though I wouldn’t swear to it—that I’ve managed to take a picture for the prompt each day, but I have reviewed and edited absolutely none of them. And today was tree decorating and normal weekend errands, so they didn’t get done today, either.
So, with that in mind, and since it’s already after midnight, the posting of said photos is absolutely going to have to wait. Maybe it will be tomorrow, and maybe it’ll be two weeks’ worth next Sunday, but I’ll get them up somewhere down the road.
In the meantime, the only picture tonight will be my finally-decorated Christmas tree. It’s like the annual holiday specials that preempt regular programming, popping up in place of the things you’re so accustomed to seeing each week. So, no Snapshot Sunday today, but, rather, a short tale of the family Christmas tree.
It sat in the corner for a week, wearing only the pre-strung lights, waiting while we tried to juggle schedules to find a couple of hours we’d all be home. Well, home and healthy. I’ve been fighting this stupid crud for over a week now. It has subsided to the point that mostly it’s just a lingering cough, but that cough rears its ugly head most often at night, so I’m not sleeping all that great, which has meant grabbing naps during most afternoons just to keep going. Then, making me feel like the worst mom ever, Billy came down with the stuff earlier this week. The definite downside of cohabitation. Anyway, he’s been trying to work while feeling pretty cruddy himself, though he did finally have to call in yesterday. I’m glad he did, because he seems to be feeling better today, though, like me, he’s still congested.
All that is to say that hanging some balls on a tree moved pretty far down the priority list. But early this afternoon we turned on the holiday music, dug out the boxes of ornaments, and finally dressed the tree.
It’s always fun to revisit the memories that the special ornaments bring. All the firsts: our first Christmas as a married couple, the first in a new home (two of those now), baby’s first Christmas. All those are things we’ll never forget. Then there’s the ornament Billy decorated himself one year, the ones we got with our names on them, the Abu ornament with a picture of Billy when he was little and couldn’t be separated from his own stuffed Abu. (For those of you not up on your Disney monkeys, read all about Abu here.)
We’ve got a lot of those kind of memories disguised as holiday decorations, and they are the best part about putting up a tree every year. Even with the hustle and bustle, winter colds, and juggling schedules, I’m glad we found the time.
