NO REAL COMPARISON!!

So it wasn't the wooded tree farm that we may be used to. There was not a wagon ride through the seemingly endless selection of Christmas trees. There were not live reindeer to look at and pet. There was no kind little lady offering us hot chocolate after a long hike in the woods...but we made the most of it! Rather than all of the above mentioned happenings, we found our Christmas tree in the outdoor "Garden Factory" at LOWE'S this year. The options were slight, but we managed to find one that pleased us. Well...most of us. In case you can't see my daughter close enough...here's a better look at her reaction to the Christmas tree experience...

I had to laugh out loud!!! I think she and I were both feeling a twinge of what her face is saying. This was not the tree hunting memory I have played over in my mind or hoped for my kids. At the same time, we were together and we had fun! In reality, her sadness was not in response to our location. She was upset about two things. 1-She saw the Christmas decorations inside the store through a window and wanted to see them. She kept asking when we could go INSIDE!! 2-She was COLD!! Go figure...last year we got our tree while it was snowing, probably less than 20 degrees outside and wearing at least three layers of clothing with no complaints. This time last week she was playing outside in the snow with her cousins...again, no complaints. Last night in the near 50 degree weather she was cold!

So...although last night was not exactly my ideal of a perfect tree hunting experience, we got a tree. And tonight was the perfect part!!! Christmas music playing, kids laughing, ornaments oozing with memories and lots of stories! Paige was so into the whole thing this year. She wanted to know where each ornament came from and why. She was able to recall the importance of many of them from last year. And we continue...creating new traditions and reliving many of the old ones!!