The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the day we trim the tree for Christmas.  There have been a few years here and there that we have had to delay by a few days (like the year we waited until DH was back from Cuba and last year when we went back home for Thanksgiving weekend), but for the most part, we try to keep this family tradition.

We have a fake tree that was handed down from my parents (it is on it's last "limb"--hope to get a new one in an after Christmas sale).  We pull it out of the box and everyone pitches in to spread out the limbs so it will look somewhat like a real tree.  We assemble it by color and then the boys put on the lights--back when our oldest child (a boy) was small, we made this his job helping daddy to put the lights on and so it has stuck.

Then everyone puts on tinsel...well, actually I take video while everyone else puts on tinsel b/c it is always a riot how the littles pile handfuls of tinsel all in the same place on the tree!

Next are the ornaments...these I dole out ever so carefully.  For several years, my mom bought each child their own ornament and their First Christmas ornaments as well, but as more children came, the financial strain of buying so many ornaments was something we didn't want to saddle mom with.  So, now she buys a family ornament and still purchases the First Christmas ornament for the new little one (which seems to be an every year occurance these days! lol)

So, each child gets to put up their own ornaments.  I even have my First Christmas ball (clear at the tippy top of the tree, b/c afterall, it is an antique!)

There are also the bear ornaments DH's step-mother made for each of the kids.

I LOVE these!  I even had her make one for my little grand-nephew as a Christmas present this year.

And there is my DD's ornament...

It may be hard to see, but inside this glass ball is a scroll.  After my miscarriage in 2000, I joined a TTC after MC board on the net (that is Trying To Conceive after Miscarriage for those of you who haven't mastered the internet lingo).  From there the group went to a "safe" mode where we did not allow outsiders--too many hurtful things had happened from people who would drop in on the group and then become angry and vindictive...internet land has them just the same as the real world.  We became a rather tight-knit group and many sent out Christmas presents to the group that year.  One woman in New York sent these gorgeous ornaments w/ a blank scroll in them to the moms who were pregnant after their miscarriages.  We were to write on the scroll our thoughts and prayers for our new babies.  Because of the nature of the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, I decided that she needed to be 16 before she could open it.  So, every time she puts it up on the tree, she says, "Humph, WHY do I have to be a teenager before I can open it?"  So, I explain it to her as best I can.  Needless to say, we will all be very excited to have her open it when she turns 16.

The final thing is for DH to put the tree topper on and plug it in.  We ooh and ahh over it and then enjoy the tree the rest of the night.  Well, this year, when DH plugged in the topper, NOTHING.  He replaced ALL the bulbs and still NOTHING.  So, here is our tree without the star on top (we'll go tomorrow to pick out a new one.) 

*notice the Santa Clause on the wall?  Ok, we don't do Santa Clause, but this is from my childhood. and when you pull the string, it plays Jingle Bells.  Silly, but sentimental.*

Have a wonderful Christmas season everyone!