holiday helpers

When I was a kid, the day my dad got our big giant Christmas tree (we called her Old Fatty) out of the attic and my mom cracked open the cardboard ornament boxes was a red letter day.  It was nothing short of pure magic.  So I'm not sure why I was surprised when the announcement that we would be decorating our Christmas tree this evening sent Kate into a holiday frenzy.

When Dave retrieved our tree (we call her Tiny Skinny) from the attic, Kate reached a level of excitement that bordered on hysteria.  It was adorable and a bit overwhelming all at the same time.

Each time we got out a new decoration, she would snatch it from my hands and try to find a home for it.  There were a few close calls and I was sure we would be sweeping up broken glass but thankfully, we got to this precious felt tree Dave's sister Tina sent us last year.  Finally, Kate had a job she was totally in charge of.  She kept telling us that this was "her tree" and "only she could put the ornaments on."

One of the decorations she was the most excited about was the Christmas goose that my grandparents gave to us a few years ago.  Any time there's a strong wind, he falls over and his head rolls away.  We've talked about throwing him out but that would akin to banishing one of Kate's best friends to the city landfill.

Kate insisted on only putting up the silver ornaments and she plopped them on only one spot on the tree which is convenient for when I secretly rearrange them later.

Finally, it was time for the star which Kate had insisted from the beginning was "her job" and "nobody else do it."  She's a bossy little elf but at least she's so cute.

And where was our second little elf during all this holiday activity?  Sitting back and relaxing in his chair watching a Mickey Mouse Christmas movie while we did all the work.  Now, he's got the right idea.