Our "Gismash" Tree

Since I have been doing nothing but laying around feeling sick and helpless on the couch, I decided the scenery needed some freshening up. So Sunday morning I dug my tree out of the storage closet, heaved and huffed furniture around the apartment, and got my Christmas tree up!

I was so exhausted and out of breath from getting the damn thing out of the box and put together that I decided to take a break from the festivities. This cough is killing me...really.

After I got Aiden home, we decided to try and decorate the tree. Unfortunately, the tree is taller than I remembered it being. What's worse, trying to balance on the side of the couch there...not great - especially when you're running a fever and heights give you the dizzies. So I called in the big guns...

We got the lights on and the star up to the top...but not matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get the star straight. But the lights turned out pretty good!

Next, Aiden got to step in and help decorate the "Gismash" tree as he calls it. We only have a handful of ornaments but they all hold significance, mostly to Aiden, so he got to put them all up.

Great Grandma "Dottie" Deiker made this one for Aiden for his first Christmas - note he was born on the 28th so his first Christmas was 2009.

This was a picture of Kane Buggie right around Thanksgiving 2008 and was given to us as a gift that year. It is by far, Aiden's favorite ornament -- he has gone to the tree to make sure Buggie is there at least 4 times in the last day.

Every year, Great Grandma "Dottie" Deiker makes Christmas Balls for her great grand kids. I assume she did so for her kids and grand kids before this but Aiden's are the first I have actually seen. This one was from last Christmas - he has one from 09 and I am really excited to see what he gets for this year.

The trouble with Aiden hanging all 12 ornaments is that he hung them all in the exact same place on the exact same low branch -- I know he can't reach very high, but he might as well have hung a sign that said, "Hey Dex! Come play in the tree! Start with these fun toys"

After we finished the tree, Aiden wanted all the lights off so he could look at his handy work. He also insisted that he, Papa, his couch woobie, and a pillow all squish into the rocker to watch "How to Train Your Dragon."

While they snuggled I got my fireplace mantle all settled.

From left to right...

Aiden's stocking (hung with care), one very old, very precious, copy of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from Grandma and Grandpa Cormack's library - held together with duct tape, Santa Claus to keep an eye on my little elf, a wooden nativity scene - also inherited from Grandma and Grandpa Cormack, and my stocking (hung by a shot glass - no point denying it)

Happy Holidays to all who can afford stocking hangers and cheers to the creativity of those who can't.