Last Friday Ryan came home from work early with 2 banh mi sandwiches and a cup of roasted red pepper and gouda soup to share. The afternoon was cold and gray and his lunch offering hit the spot. Afterwards, we thought it the perfect time to go pick out our Christmas tree. So we three jumped in the car and were off. We had to stop to get cash to tip the nice men that would help us strap that 7-foot-tall, needle-y tree to our car. And of course we picked up some hot chocolate too.
The tree lot was quiet that time of day so early in the season. It was just us. What kind of tree should we get? Noble fir? Yes. Stiff braches and soft needles that is what we need. In years past we have had trees with softer branches that sink under the weight of our heaviest ornaments. We have effectively learned our lesson on that. It seems we get better at Christmas each year. Live. Learn. It is all a process, even for fun things like Christmas! Rylie stared up at those big trees with wide wondering eyes, just silent for a while. Studying them. And then, with a start, she tore through the aisles, tree after tree, and let us know her favorite.
Once home, the holiday play list was in full swing. Some of my favorite music this year has been mellow instrumentals. Think Vince Guaraldi on the Charlie Brown soundtrack. I've discovered the Eddie Higgins Trio thanks to Pandora. The holiday album from Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is so imaginative and playful, too. Ryan put togther a pretty ecclectic playlist that is old time-y and includes some organ tunes that remind me of going to candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve.
We pulled out the Christmas boxes, and though we have had this stuff for years now, it all seemed brand new after being away for so long. There are always a few surprises, isn't there? Like when you get all of the lights strung in the tree and then discover the whole string is not working. How could we have forgotten that after last year? And why did we put the lights back into storage if they were broken? Good questions, indeed. But there are also the tender, sweet moments like when I pull out the stockings that Ryan made for our first Christmas together. We were not living in the same state at the time and I was coming out to spend Christmas at his place. He went to Michael's and bought a couple of felt stockings and glitter puff paint and wrote our nicknames for each other at the top of each one. I will keep those forever. And then there are the ornaments. We pulled out Rylie's first Christmas ornaments from last year for the very first time and it choked me up a bit to think that this is already her second Christmas. It is sure to be a fun one if the advent hijinks are any indication. She just loves ripping that paper from the boxes.
Rylie helped us decorate the tree. She loves to take off the ornaments that she can reach and hand them to us, shouting "Ball! Ball!" We say, "Yes, ball. Thank you." as we place it back on the branch. This goes on for sometime. She never tires. The other morning she took off all of the ornaments that she could reach and lined them up in the windowsill.
My heart is in a constant swell over here. The white lights lend a warm, cozy glow and I am compelled to stay in my jammies and knit. Or at night, play board games and spike my hot chocolate with a bit of kaluha. That's what these lights do to me, I tell ya.
Hello! I'm Liz Scott - mama to two little ones, maker, and all around curiosity chaser. I live with my family in Los Angeles, where we seek to fill each day with adventure, joy and creativity. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting.
