Putting up the tree...

On the second last Sunday afternoon in November, we put up our Christmas tree.
Hallie has been sick so she laid on the couch asleep while everyone else gathered tinsel, found balls and laughed over home-made items which take centre stage on our tree.



Hallie has been sick before when we have set up the Christmas tree. This is her on the 26.11.06

I love letting the kids just go for it and if all the decorations are bunched in one spot at a certain child's height then it stays that way. It makes me smile to see them so excited and spend time playing with the nativity sets and getting excited, knowing that summer holidays are looming and school is nearly out for the year!!

On the Saturday, the Walters girls came for a sleepover so I took advantage of the slave labour and thought to myself, "if I have 8 kids putting up a tree, it will only take a few minutes" and I won't have to do a thing. It all went well until after Simon spent a long time unravelling the lights and making sure each globe worked and carefully putting them on the tree, about 9 pm that night the lights died and that was that. If we get new lights, EVERYTHING will have to come back off the tree and be put back on! I may roll my eyes but the kids will think it's great to decorate the tree twice.

And what better way to finish up my "slave labour" than with a bounce on the trampoline.

I love putting up Charlotte's little decorations that Lisa has bought for me over the past few years. It makes me feel that even though she is not here celebrating Christmas with us… she kind of actually is!