Monday is not my Fun day.

*Y a w n...
**S  t  r  e  t  c  h  h  h....
*Sigh. The weekend is over.

I wish it wasn't so, but it is. It's Monday and back to work time. Not that I didn't work all weekend, but it was work of a totally different animal. HOUSEwork. Normally I would consider that a foul word, but over the weekend I found it to be very relaxing. Stress relieving even. Yes, really. =)


Thanksgiving was lovely. Leftovers the next night, followed by a family game of Sequence, even better. Boys (hubby, middle son, bro in law) VS Girls (sis in law, neice, moi) and the boys won. We let 'em. You know boys can't lose to girls! 


The tree is up and looking so pretty.


I gotta admit though, last year when Craig brought home a faux tree in a box? I was not okay. I maybe even had an allergic reaction. Tree's don't come in BOXES. They grow, outside, and they smell wonderful. And then we kill 'em & drag 'em in the house where sap sticks like glue to your light strands and gift wrap and they lose little sharp pine needles into the carpet that you are still finding come Valentines Day. And it's all perfectly natural. It's part of the charm, the tradition.


But when I looked at him that day to give him my "what on Earth were you thinking" glare, I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell him that I didn't love it. He was smiling from ear to ear, like a little kid who plucks a mustard weed flower and presents it to his mommy to wear in her hair.


"Look what I found on sale!" he announced. (This in itself was a Christmas miracle. My husband not only went shopping, he found a sale - and knew what to do with it! For some women this could be the equivalent to foreplay.)


"And it's pre-lit", he went on, "so no more tangled messes." He was armed with all kinds of chipper comments.


So I sucked it up, told myself I could do anything once, and decorated the damn thing and smiled anyways. I don't think he ever walked by the thing that he didn't declare his genius. Men.


But this year...this year as I hauled the boxed faux tree down from its hiding place, unraveled the bubble wrap, stuck it together & began to unfold it's hinged branches, a new feeling came over me. I decided I kinda like this tree. First of all, it's not costing me a penny this year. Make that first, second, and third of all - cause who has extra money laying around this year, right? And it also reminded me of another time when Craig brought me home a tree...


I was a single mama working my butt off just to keep the lights on and the fridge stocked. It was the first week of December and I hadn't even thought about getting a tree yet...so my grandmothers took it upon themselves to get one for me. It was small but fat, unevenly flocked white and ungodly ugly. Not that I don't like flocked or white Christmas tree's, because I totally do. But this one looked like an untrained monkey with a can of spray on snow had done the deed. Seriously, Charlie Brown's tree was better.


When I tucked the boys in bed that night I sat there looking at it and bawled. What was my world coming to?


Now I know that that probably sounds totally ridiculous and unappreciative, but I swear it wasn't like that. My grandmothers were notorious for taking charge (or just plain taking over) and it was like they didn't trust me to get my own stinking tree now that I was husbandless. It was about so much more than a Christmas tree...


Craig called me, we were only dating then, so he actually called me on purpose every evening that we didn't spend together just to say hi. (Ah, those were the days...) I tried to sound happy, but I sucked at faking it and when he asked what was wrong, boy did I tell him!


About an hour later there was a knock at my door. Looking through the peep hole I saw nothing but Douglas Fir green. That was the moment I knew I was falling in love. Craig and his cousin Barry went out and found me the perfect Christmas tree. Not too tall, not too short. Not too fat, and not too skinny. They even thought to bring along another tree stand.


We moved the little white tree to the boys bedroom, they were little enough to love it & I didn't want to hurt my grandmothers feelings either.


And then...we made room for the one he brought me in the living room.


And then...the day after Christmas, I made room for Craig to move in.