"Stupid Tree!"

We went with my family to get their Christmas tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Usually we go the Friday after Thanksgiving, but it was way too cold to take the kiddos out that day so we postponed things a bit.  We also went to lunch before we got the tree; it was Baylor's first realization of the concept of "brunch" and he was totally into it.

And, as it turned out, those were not the only new things this year.

The most noticeable change was Mollie's presence.  This was her first time going out to get the tree, and at first she wasn't too thrilled about it.

The girl has such separation anxiety right now; she hadn't seen my mom in only two days but it was like she'd never met her before in her life.  Not to mention the fact that I'm standing right there, in plain view, putting on the baby carrier telling her everything is okay.  Sheesh!

Once she was back with me, though, she was good as gold.

Baylor got to walk by himself this year instead of being carried like in previous years (here and here).

Of course, everyone helped keep him out of the mud.

And away from the tractor.

I think it was quite liberating for him to be walking like the rest of us.

And then he found it ... a puddle!  The stuff of little boys' dreams!

So Oma helped him explore a bit.

He was a very happy little man.

And Mollie fell asleep, which was great because otherwise she wouldn't have gotten a morning nap.

Another first for us, unfortunately, was that we couldn't find a tree.  Not a single one that was even close to big enough for their space and the amount of ornaments they have.  Believe me when I say, we walked a long way and could find nothing ... not a one to argue over.

While the guys were making sure there weren't any we missed, Baylor played in some sand.  It was in the low 40's, so it ended up feeling more like a trip to the beach than a Christmas tree hunt.  (Yes, I was a little warm ... sue me, I was carrying a 20 pound baby over top my winter coat!)

So we made the hike back up the hill to the front of the lot.

And we looked for ... *gasp* ... a pre-cut tree!  (We Maxeys just don't do that.  This is literally the first time this has ever happened in all the years we've gone to cut a tree, and we've been doing this for as long as I can remember.)  Baylor was okay with it, though.

Here's the tree we ended up getting.  And here's where the "stupid tree" part comes in.  You see, for the last few years we've gotten Frasier fir trees; they're lighter and the needles while thick aren't overly pokey.  This tree, this big a$$ blue spruce ... it weighs a bloody ton and the needles are sharp as can be.  Dad said, "Stupid tree!" a lot.  Bryson didn't complain ... probably because it wasn't going to our house.

Baylor wanted to help, too.

But he was best served just looking cute ... he does it so well!

Mollie eventually woke up when we put her in the car.

And when Dad and Bryson started to hook the tree to the roof ...

... she probably wasn't too thrilled with her view.

Back at the house, she was able to stretch her legs and flash her winning smile, so she was back to her happy self.

My husband has many wonderful traits, but he's a bit of a Grinch when it comes to putting up Christmas decorations so he mostly sat and watched whatever Christmas movie (or football game) was on.

Dad had trouble getting the tree secure in the stand because of how wide the trunk was, then he had trouble getting it to vertical and had to use numerous pieces of 2x4 to get it just right.  Then, he and Christine had a bit of trouble putting up the lights, as the tree had quite a large girth.  Stupid tree!

Seriously, they had to take most of the lights down and restring it because they fell about a foot short at the bottom.  Ah, good times!

Once Baylor got up from his nap, he went to work putting the lights to the test.

And, of course, he admired the Avon Snowman and Snow Lady.  Kid loves a good flashing light, you know?

Then we set to work decorating the tree and eating M&M cookies.

They have a Hallmark ornament that depicts a moment in A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Baylor loves it to no end and demands it played often.  This was his first time for the season.

Then, because my parents are a neat and tidy folk, they commenced the annual vacuuming of the needles.  Luckily, they have a really quiet vacuum cleaner and Baylor was actually willing to help!

I kid about my parents being neat and tidy, but their house - especially around the holidays - always looks amazing.  It's warm and inviting and full of love and joy.

Stupid tree or not, it's a wonderful place to enjoy the holidays.