~ Dec. 18, 2008
The Christmas Tree, The Star and The Clapper
For the last 3 Christmases we have been so busy with Christmas plays (usually 2-3 a year), our annual trip to Disney World in December (which isn't happening this year), and everything else going on in our lives that we did not get a full size Christmas tree. We had a tabletop tree on a TV tray. The tree was covered only in Disney ornaments. We all came to love that little tree.
This year we only have 1 Christmas play, tonight in fact, and that is it so we decided to put up all our Christmas decorations. Ok, we can't put them all up because it seems the collection has grown and the house hasn't. Anyway, last Friday Ron and the boys went to Lowes and got a live 6' tree on sale for $20! Saturday we put on the lights. When we unpacked the angel topper she looked pretty sad. She is 17 yrs old, we bought her our first Christmas together. It was time to retire her. We decided we wanted a star. Jordan and I headed to Wal-Mart.
The Wal-Mart stars were all cheesy or tacky looking. We went across the street to Sam's. We couldn't find any toppers, we talked to the man working in the Christmas decorations dept. and he said they didn't carry the toppers and my best bet would be to go to Target. We head to Target and find a few that are ok. We really wanted something that was classy but lit up and was preferrably silver. We found a cool red one but decided against it. Then we found 2 modern looking silver wire ones and we were trying to figure out how to add lights to it. We were just about ready to give up when I spotted a different box on the bottom shelf behind 4 other boxes. Jordan pulled it out and it was a beautiful star, brushed gold with mirrors. No lights, not silver but we both knew this was the one. It cost $14.99-almost as much as the tree but we bought it anyway.
Saturday night the boys decorated most of the tree and Jordan and I finished it on Monday. The one thing we couldn't find in all of the boxes was the timer. We had been climbing behind the tree to plug and unplug it. Our tree is in an odd space. There is no place in our small living room for a 6' Christmas tree. So, our tree lives in the kitchen/dining room next to the microwave. It works and we can see it from the livingroom so all is good.
Tuesday, Jordan and I were in CVS picking up a few things when I saw "The Clapper". Last year we bought my husband the clapper for Christmas because he is so hard to buy for and he never asks for anything specific. He also jokingly often walks into a room and claps his hands and then laughs when the lights don't come on. Well, it has set on his closet shelf for a year, unopened. When we got home I got the clapper off the shelf and the boys installed it on the Christmas tree. We didn't tell Ron what we did, and sat down to dinner with the tree behind Ron's seat. Well, the clapper is a VERY sensitive instrument. Any noise with the correct rhythmis pattern will make it work. Several times during dinner the tree turned on and off (and I'm not talking about the blinkie lights). The boys and I giggled and laughed through dinner and Ron had no idea what was going on. While cleaning up from dinner it was on and off some more. Later Tuesday night, as I was making popcorn in the microwave, Ron started laughing. The tree kept turning off and on while the popcorn popped!
Wednesday at lunch Aaron popped open the parmesan cheese container and the lights turned on. Ron closed a kitchen cabinet and they turned off. Oh my goodness, this was too funny-and annoying. The boys tried to see what sounds they could make to get the tree to turn off and on. Well, Ron bought a new timer Wednesday afternoon and the clapper has disappeared. It was fun while it lasted. I'll have to find out what he did with the clapper, I can see it being used for other harmless pranks in the future.
Comments
� Dec. 19, 2008
Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
It is really fun for the television for the same reason. :) At least you had some fun with it!
Dana
http://principleddiscovery.com
� Dec. 19, 2008
clapper :)
Posted by Erin
That is too funny! Gives me a good idea to mess with the hubby! :) Merry Christmas!
� Dec. 19, 2008
clapper :)
Posted by Erin
Oh darn. He came into the room when I got ours out of the cabinet and asked what I was doing with it. poo... he ruined my fun. I said nothing, but he knows I had it now. :( haha
~Erin
Twitter: @erinjeany
ejsmomej[at]gmail[dot]com
http://ejsmomej.blogspot.com/
