Sunday, December 20, 2020

Mosaic Monday #110: Holiday Hijinks

Hello all - #1 Daughter and The Boyfriend arrived on December 12, and it has been non-stop fun.  








The festivities began with cutting down the Christmas tree.  A couple of weeks ago, #1 Son had assisted in tramping around our acreage and down-selecting to five potential candidates.  Each one was marked with a blue tag.  The whole family reviewed the five; it was fairly unanimous that Tree #2 was the best - no bare spots, even all the way around, a nice shape, a good height.

Spousal Unit crept under the boughs and commenced sawing.  Within minutes, the tree fell softly onto the snow below.  #1 Son and The Boyfriend were the obvious choices to carry the tree the quarter of a mile back to the house.



The tree filled the entryway overnight, the tarps underneath catching any melting snow.  Monty the Moose performed his own quality check - only the best tree will do!




While the boys wrestled the tree into the house, #1 Daughter and I fed the hungry birds.  She knew that the chickadees (and sometimes the nuthatches) come to my hand for sunflower seeds, and I wanted her to experience it for herself.  Below is a video with the flying hordes.  I had to laugh a few times, when they landed on my hand as it held the camera!!!  

Decorating the tree consumed most of the next day.  It began with getting the tree into the stand, purpose-built a couple of years ago by Spousal Unit.  With the height and weight of the tree, combined with trying to ensure it is straight, it takes a team!  We normally manage it with three people, but having more hands on deck was immensely helpful!


As we stood back to examine our work, #1 Son suddenly reached forward to catch the tree, which had begun to fall.  Oh my!  Disaster averted!  We had placed some wood blocks under the stump in order to avoid cutting off some of the lower branches, and it simply was not a stable foundation.  So out came the blocks, off came the lower limbs - we observed the tree for some moments and it didn't even wiggle - whew.




Next came the lights, which require a 10-foot ladder to access the top.  We were blessed to have several people comfortable with climbing ladders!   

Traditional Christmas music from our vintage stereo filled the airwaves as we carefully placed the ornaments.  We always enjoy reminiscing about the history of certain ornaments, and this was particularly relevant this year with The Boyfriend part of the process for the first time.  #1 Daughter decorated most of the top of the tree; it was beneficial that this specimen was narrower than in years past so that the ladder could stand closer to the tree.  She was even able to place the angel without the aid of the marshmallow skewer!


(We decided to secure the tree with some thin rope connected the light fixtures on the wall.  It has a slight amount of slack in it, so we can tell if the tree is leaning.  So far?  So good.)  Here is the finished product!  We do believe this is our favorite tree of the three that have graced the house thus far.






Our time together has also included euchre (a card game), board games, jigsaw puzzles, walking in the snow, watching football, movies and more.  One night we made sushi.  I think there is something very bonding about group cooking.

My only trace of sadness is that we are already halfway through their visit!

Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating the season!

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33 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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  2. You made sushi - how cool is that?!? I love feeding chickadees from my hand. I'm hoping to train the ones around here to eventually do that (now that they finally come to the feeders). Merry Christmas!

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  3. ...those are might tall trees, they make our 6 1/2' tree look like a spappling. Merry Christmas to you Angie.

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  4. Beautiful tree! Merriest of Christmases to you!!

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  5. Merry Christmas! Stay well and safe. Kit

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  6. Such a fun time hunting, cutting and decorating your beautiful Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas from all of us!

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  7. Wonderful tree Angie and beautifully decorated. Very special time with your daughter and her boyfriend. Merry Christmas.

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  8. Beautiful tree and family time. I love the video of the bird feeding. Black cap chickadees are a favorite. Merry Christmas
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  9. Love, love, love everything about your post from #1 son scoping out the trees, marking them and then the choice you all made. What a fabulous tree and you definitely have the space to enjoy it. The birds come to your hand? I'll have to try that. So nice that you have this time with your daughter and her beau!

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  10. Hi Angie! :) Your tree is beautiful, what a lovely tradition! :) It's so big!!! :))) I love seeing your sushi making mosaic!!! Merry Christmas!!

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  11. Hello, Angie. Your Christmas tree is a grandeur standing proudly in the living room. Setting it up and putting decorations is exciting, but how about taking all down and put them away? I hear the tree stands till mid-January. Right? I remember how busy I was changing Christmas items to the New Year right after the Christmas is over because the New Year is the most important celebration in my country. The sushi looks delicious and the person looks good at creating a roll with a bamboo mat. Do you know “Temaki Zushi” (cone-shaped hand-roll)? People make their sushi at the table with their own favorite combination of
    ingredients. Merry Christmas to you!

    Yoko

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  12. wow that is a huge tree - and certainly requires a joint effort. I need to start doing my Christmas baking! All the very best for a safe and blessed Christmas.

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  13. What a wonderful tree indeed! Merry christmas to all of you!
    P.S. I'm always listening to the Carpenters "Christmas Collection" and think of you ;)

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  14. o. dear! You are really able to have a huge christmas-tree. What a treat! So nice to see your images from the start to finish. It became a real beauty.
    Take care all of you and wishing you a Merry Christmas.

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  15. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

    much love...

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  16. What a wonderful tree! Merry Christmas to you and your family, Angie!

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  17. PS: Thank you for being such a great host for Mosaic Monday all through this difficult year, Angie. Your efforts and great posts are appreciated.

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  18. The tree is very beautiful and perfect for your home. Enjoy this time with family. Stay safe and healthy! Thanks for the party too! It's the highlight of the week. holiday hugs!

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  19. Angie if you are on the computer right now will you write me an email so that I can tell you about a problem on the links today! Thanks!

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  20. I have such fond memories of treking to the woods (our woods) and picking/chopping our own tree. A blue spruce was my favorite. Merry Christmas!

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  21. You have such a beautiful home that perfectly suits that tall tree. Enjoy your days with family. Merry Christmas, Angie!

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  22. How nice that you are having a family Christmas. One of my daughters is still sick (in her home) with Covid (and it will be a month tomorrow) and the other one is four states away with travel restrictions in between.

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  23. Getting together with family is such a highlight of the year. I am glad you did and all were well. Fun to search for a tree and the just the right one. Love your decorations. I too like jigsaw puzzles. Good entertainment to pass the time.
    Merry Christmas
    MB

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  24. Hello Angie, Happy Christmas! Your tree is stunning I love that we were able to join you choosing it and seeing it decorated. I bet it smells divine? How on earth do you get it back outside when your family has left? Loved the video feeding the beautiful little birds too. Have a wonderful Christmas!
    Wren x

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  25. There are wonderful Christmas trees...

    ...merry Christmas to you and your Family.

    Cheers, Heidrun

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  26. A fun tree selection process. It looks absolutely perfect. Enjoy every moment of the time you do have. Happy holidays.

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  27. Angie, It's great to have family with you for Christmas. The tree looks great! Nice to have the room for a very tall one. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Sylvia D.

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  28. Your tree is beautiful!
    Merry Christmas to all❤

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  29. Thank you for visit my channel and on your Youtube channel with feeding the birds i has react also. Merry christmas everybody.

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  30. Gosh, you don't do things by half, do you. What a fabulous tree. Goodness me, 'tis a bit precarious decorating the top of the tree. Fabulous your daughter scaled the tall ladder. It is a beautiful tree gorgeously decorated. Enjoy your Christmas with your loved ones. I have a feeling there will be much merriment to be had. See you next year, lovely Angie.

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  31. Fun family time and your tree and decorations beautiful. Merry Christmas to all!

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  32. angie...first i am going to answer the questions you asked me, from my blog!! YES, my son and i did make the gingerbread house, i thought it came out really well and it was a really fun project. i ordered the games on amazon, let me know if you need help finding them, i had a little trouble this morning myself. if you continue to have trouble, i would be more than happy to send you a couple, then you could make photo copies....they were so fun. my crackers had the hat, toy, jokes and quotes. they were quite silly but everyone looks for them on the table!!!

    you don't have to publish this, it is primarily for you!!!

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  33. ooooh angie, that is some tree!! there was a time, because of your pictures, i thought you had 2 trees, side by side!! hehehehehe

    i really enjoyed the video of the chickadees eating from #1 daughters hand. wow, what a thrill!!! we did a puzzle also, completed it in one day, but all 3 of us worked on it!! we had a super fun christmas and i was so happy to have my youngest son home!!

    one game we played was a christmas light scavenger hunt, your family might enjoy that, we had a ball with it!!

    https://www.somewhatsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Christmas-Lights-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf

    if you copy and paste that link in to your search bar, it should work!!!

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