Decorating the Christmas Tree is something I used to be so particular about.
I would be so uptight and hand the kids one ornament at a time from their own box and then I would do the rest all by myself and rearrange their ornaments so they would look better.
If the kids touched anything they "weren't supposed to" I would get upset and by the end of the evening I (and probably everyone else) was frustrated and grumpy.
The last few years I have been much better. They get to get their own boxes out and put their ornaments wherever they desire. Then I let them help with the box from my childhood and the other ornaments that our family has collected from vacations and other sundry things. I just sit and pull out the separate boxes of decorations and supervise the activity much more calmly than I used to. All I have to do when the kids are done is add a few smaller ornaments near the top of the tree where they aren't able to reach. I no longer rearrange (unless they are 3 or 4 deep on one branch) and so we have large ones towards the top, bare spots and ones that are barely clinging to the tip of a branch.
It's charming :)
I also have a thing about the kids touching the tree once it is decorated.
When I came downstairs one day soon after we had put the tree up I saw this display on the hearth.
Someone, (I will not mention any names) had removed the nutcrackers from the tree and used them as players in their lego action. My first reaction was to be very upset but I took a few seconds to relax and realized..."What's the big deal right?" It was actually pretty cute when I thought about it.
I ended up gluing a few ornaments back together this year because of my decision to loosen up on my tree rules, but hey, it's okay :)
This is something I am trying to work on in all seasons of my life now...to just let the kids enjoy little moments without getting so upset and fussy about everything.
This ornament episode (though it may seem silly) was a big step for me toward this goal.
BTW...Ben is not in any of these pictures because he had absolutely no interest in decorating the tree...we tried :)
I'll bet everyone is more relaxed about the tree now--well, obviously, if the nutcracker ornaments get to play with the Legos. : )
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Ben has no interest in decorating the tree. I would have thought he would love the lights and little ornaments. Go figure.