Take Good Care Of This Moment, Take 3.

WELCOME!!

Thanks so much for coming by and participating in

Take Good Care Of This Moment.

Whether you share a moment on the linky below or just read the offerings, my hope is that you come away with a renewed sense of joy and peace during this crazy, beautiful, stressful month.

This week, my moment came in the form of a 3 ft. noble fir tree.

Just a little background history:

A few years ago, I caved and got a fake tree.

I did.

My eldest daughter was so incensed, she refused to decorate it and while I hung ornaments on it, she stood in the background reminding me of what a sad, sad state our family had fallen into. True to her form, she never hung an ornament on it. I have since defended our sorry fake tree (yes, it really is kind of a lame little tree) and have grown to be rather fond of it.  My kids have never really spent much time decorating any tree real or fake, so I'm happy with my quick to put up-pre lit tree. 

But, I have to admit. It's just not the same with out a real tree and the first year we had the fake tree, I conspired with some friends who were leaving on Christmas morning to drive to Colorado to stop by our house early in the morning and leave their tree. It arrived before anyone was up, in a stand, with the lights still on it. Doug and the girls came downstairs to open stockings and found that little (real) tree waiting for them, just so ready to spread Christmas joy. It was a fabulous moment!

Fast forward about 6 years:

We still put up that silly fake tree and then go find a real tree, smallish in size for the family room.

This year, Brenna and I took on the task and went after school to our local Lowe's. When we first entered the tree area, we were a little taken aback as there were only a handful of trees left. We were informed that they had been selling like mad and "this late in the season, there weren't many left." 

Late? Since when is December 14th late to purchase a tree??? 

Maybe I was supposed to get it on black Friday?

To be honest, I had a small moment of panic, because the only trees to be seen were the giant, 10-12 foot variety.

Then, back in the corner, there they were.

The smallish ones.

Very smallish, but when one is "late" in purchasing, I guess you can't complain.

Full of green, piney good smells, standing proud with all it's 36 inches, I didn't care how small it was, it was just plain CUTE.

Brenna and I were pretty slap-happy by now and the man who was supposed to be helping us was busy doing who knows what on the phone, scanning who knows what to replace the trees that were bought by more savvy people than myself, so I began to sing.

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas, and in case you didn't hear, have a holly jolly Christmas, this year."

Thank goodness Brenna likes to join in on the fun, so she began laughing and I began marching around the tree, twirling it, singing what ever verses I could recall from Burl Ives.

The nice man from Lowe's was taking quite a long time to re-order trees for the poor, unfortunate, late-in the-season people, so we laughed and sang our way around our cute tree until I was a little dizzy. The other nice thing about being late-in-the-season-purchasers is that no one else is buying a tree, so we were free to fully enjoy ourselves and embrace our MOMENT.

We then went to purchase our late bloomer of a tree and I did a double take at the register.

$10.00

Say what?

$10.00

 Half off for the poor, late-in-season-people.

I almost burst into a rousing rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, but kept my wits about me and purchased three little poinsettias instead, put our treasures in the car and at home, jimmied it into the monstrously large tree holder.

It's awaiting it's decorating debut today.

It will be an honored tree.

For you see, there is not just any ornament to be placed on this late-season tree.

It's a Justin Bieber ornament.

Yep. Brenna's pick for the year.

This tree knows good things come to those that wait and sing.