An Ode To Our Tree

When I was younger, I used to always think: "When I have kids, I am going to have two Christmas trees. One in the living room that is perfect and beautiful and all the ornaments match, and one in the family room that the kids can decorate."

Then I got old and realized how much work it is to put up even one tree.

And I realized how much fun the kids have decorating it and how much joy they get from seeing their creations. Audra and Claire made some paper ornaments and put them on the tree. Audra decided that a piece of red yarn was the most beautiful garland ever given to mankind and proudly placed in on the tree- carefully and meticulously. Claire loves rearranging the ornaments daily and grouping large groups of ornaments in one strategic location and leaving other areas blank. The happiness they get from these simple things is unbelievable.

So now my thought is this: "THIS is the perfect Christmas tree!" Why do I care if all the ornaments match- especially if that means I don't have the kids ornaments? Why do I need to usurp power over the Christmas tree- a tree that brings Audra and Claire so much joy? Why not just let them have at it and then sit back and enjoy the beauty that my 2 and 4 year old created?

The perfect Christmas tree, I have decided, is the one that they have created- not the one that I have forced upon them.

After all, isn't the tree really about them, not me? I love their little paper ornaments. And their red yard garland. And their funny ornament placement. There's only a few more years of enjoying their handiwork before they are off decorating their own trees. I'm going to enjoy our little kid tree for as long as I can! Formal trees are now banned from this household!