O Tannenbaum!

Ever since I was little I've LOVED Christmas! I love everything about it. And I've always been the one in my family who is most attached to the decorations, traditions, etc. I remember standing outside in the cold and snow just watching my dad put lights in the trees outside our house. And begging him to put lights along the roof year after year...until he finally caved! (Thanks, Dad!)

When all of us kids were little we used to all pile in the car with my dad and head to the tree lot to pick out a Christmas tree. It was one of the best parts of the Christmas season. Mom stayed at home to prepare the living room (and because she liked the scrawny trees and we liked the big fat ones) while we went out in noble pursuit of the perfect Christmas tree.

Then, slowly, each kid got too old to come on the Christmas tree hunt. First Preston and then Meg, leaving only me and Andy. And then Andy got too old for it. Which is a little backward since he's younger than me. Only I remained true to the cause!

So now I'm all grown up, and every year I still look forward to going to the tree lot with Dad in search of a Christmas tree. And this year's tree does not disappoint. It's tall and full and beautiful. And now the house smells like pine. And tomorrow Mom will put lights on it (Thanks, Mom!) so that it's ready to be hung with all of our ornaments.

We've got our tree. It can officially be Christmas!