The Hargrave Clan: Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

When Matt and I got married we quickly learned that we had no money. Our first Christmas tree was a stack of green card stock paper we cut into the shape of a tree and taped to the wall of our apartment. We used tacks to hang a few lights and ornaments on it, and prayed every night that it would not catch on fire. It is, to this day, my favorite tree. Later, we invested in a very pretty fake Christmas tree. It is pre-lit, with a pine-scented Scentsy plugged in close by (for that "fresh-from-the-forest" effect). Every year we climb into our attic and get it down, set it up, and then drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music while we decorate it with great flourishes. It is a very happy time and a tradition I cherish.

Growing up, my parents always bought a real tree for Christmas. I love this tradition, also. I loved piling in the car, driving to the lot (or mountains one year when we were feeling overly adventurous), smelling fresh pine, looking at the options, debating over who's tree is better, strapping "the winner" to the roof of the minivan with twine that could break on the highway at any moment, carrying it in the house with a vacuum cleaner and pitcher of water close behind, stringing it with lights, fighting over who gets to hang which ornaments, and then sitting back in the dark living room to admire the beauty and hard work of it all.

I have had the best of both Worlds, and can't really say which I enjoy more. I guess it doesn't actually matter what kind of a tree you get--real or fake. No tradition matters so much as the people you are with while doing them. That's what makes them great.

So this year I am with my mom and dad and sisters, buying a real tree and loving the season. We went to a local nursery to pick it out, and we did indeed have strong debate over who's chosen tree was the best. But when it came right down to the, "One! Two! Three! STAND BY YOUR TREE!" contest, my little beauty won by a mile. Really though, we are all winners, because it looks amazing in our house (thank you, very much).

Mine and Matt's first Christmas tree...we were so poor...

My dad playing hide and seek with Bennett in the trees. Bennett was not very good at this game so I think my dad stood like this for about five minutes before giving up. It was a valiant effort on his part.

The first thing Allison did when we got there was teach Bennett how to throw rocks into the stands of water the trees sit in. He was in Heaven and soaking wet by the time we left.

Bennett and his rocks. Who needs trees when you have rocks?

Bennett and his grandma, on the lookout for a perfect tree. Bennett was a very popular photographing subject on this day, as you will notice.

Bennett and his grandpa by my dad's tree candidate
(the loser tree, I like to call it...)

Me and Bennett by my tree candidate
(The obvious, hands-down winner of the contest)

I would also like to mention here that Courtney came with us too, but refused to allow me to post the picture of her I had taken. She said she looked, "Gross."

Putting on the lights and star. Just so you know, it was quite the ordeal getting this tree from the van to the living room with just me, Allison and Courtney to carry it. There are no pictures or videos of this, but it was quite the epic adventure. I think my dad thoroughly missed my brothers at this moment...I know I did.

We decorated the tree on a Sunday night with all of our friends/roommates/cousins/cousins-cousins who come to dinner. This resulted in record-breaking tree decorating time.

Bennett got to stay up late to help decorate with us. He wasn't very interested at first, but later got into the spirit of it all and became quite bossy about it. He would pick up an ornament and hand it to a tall person. Then he would run to the tree and point quite forcefully where he wanted that particular ornament to go. We now have a tree with 60% of our ornaments on the lower two branches.