Decorating the tree

After we let the tree settle in for a day, we began the task of decorating the 10 foot fir. Last year Zach mostly wanted to take stuff off, but this year he was very excited about helping to put on ornaments. I put on most of the lights while the kids were asleep (somehow HALF our lights died while in the box from last year to this one, so I had to go out and buy some more. ) Then Isabella helped put on the rest and helped with the garland. Once that was done, we put on the Christmas music (we have a long tradition, from back when I was a kid, of listening to the Carpenter's Christmas album... funny, but true) and we went to work putting the ornaments on the tree. Liza took them out of the box and would hand them to the kids, then I would help them to avoid putting them all on the lowest branch grouped in a small 2 foot area. :-)

Isabella and Zach got in to the spirit by wearing their "Sanata's helper" hats.

I had to use a ladder to get to the top of the tree.

Isabella would take the ornaments and put them on. For the high up branches, I would lift the kids up as high as I could and they would put them on.

Zach hung this one out on the limb. We thought it was so funny that we left it there.

Here is Zach getting way up high. After the first time, he only wanted to hang on the top of the tree.

Isabella wanted to hang some up high as well.

When we were done, we ended up with a beautiful tree. The kids love to look at it and to ring a bell that is down at their level. We have gotten Zach to ASK before he can go ring it and he usually refrains from ringing it more than twice the number of times he asked that he could.

Merry Christmas all!