"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

-Day 9 of 31-

The tree is up and fully decorated.  It wasn't quite as difficult as I imagined doing it all by myself.  I think this year's tree is somewhat smaller than last year's but I still really like it.  I ended up using about 5 strands less of lights compared to last year.  However, as you can see below, it looks really good (at least I think so).  In addition to a bunch of strands of small lights, I also used some of the real glass lights that you screw in...which means I also have some bubble lights!  But so far I've only seen one of them 'bubbling'...kind of a bummer.


I think it took me about 2 hours or so to do everything.  I listened to the Redskins somehow pull out a victory against the Ravens...quite thrilling to hear that on the radio while shoving lights in between the branches of a tree and later hanging ornaments.  Speaking of ornaments...I realized this year that I do have quite a few of my own in addition to a few sets I bought last year.  Everything that is "mine" are ornaments I've gotten over the years from Santa.  Yes, that adds up to at least 34!

I have lots of fond memories of putting up the tree with my family.  We'd usually get a Scotch Pine and damn if those needles didn't hurt!  Putting the lights on the tree growing up was usually my job and the needles would always seem to find the cuticles on your fingers...right where the nail meets the finger...and just jab you repeatedly.  Ouch!  For a long time as a kid I had a train set that we'd set up around the base of the tree.  In fact, the tracks were on a large board and we set-up the tree on top of that.  I look forward to doing that kinda thing one day when I (hopefully) have kids.  It just always seemed to really get me in the spirit of Christmas to play with my train underneath the tree.  It would be the coolest present if Santa brought me a new train car back then. :-)

Getting back to my tree here in Alexandria...the final touches were some tinsel strands and the star.  I'm not the biggest fan of tinsel so I only put on one run of silver.  The star looks good right now, just don't touch it or even look at it funny cuz it might fall off.  I should probably find a better way to secure it up there.  So the only thing missing from my tree is a Nativity scene...and presents!  Perhaps I'll pick up a Nativity scene down at the Christmas Shop in Old Town Alexandria.  For now, I'm content to stare and admire my tree with just the tree lights on in my place with Christmas music on in the background...cue the Carol of the Bells.