I am having a little trouble getting the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT going around here.
I finally set up the tree, a beautiful pre-lit fake I bought last year at 75% off. It took me ages to fluff up all the branches and put all the ornaments on. Then the tree gave me two nasty electric shocks–not the snapping kind you get from scuffing your feet on the carpet, but the vibrating kind that leave you doing a mental check to make sure all systems are still go.
So the project that had been oppressing me since Thanksgiving, the one that took several hours of work BUT AT LEAST IT WAS DONE—had to be all undone again, and there was our living room looking all naked and grim the way it shouldn’t look until after New Year’s. Paul was scrambling around cooking me dinner and offering to do the dishes, so I know I must have been thunderclouding it there for awhile. If I remember correctly, I suggested canceling Christmas.
Now we have our old, puny, non-pre-lit fake tree up, which Paul put up while I was out shopping, and also he put up the lights. This made me feel as if we could go ahead and have Christmas after all. Still, I’m sad about the gorgeous tree.
This is the tree that tried to take me down. Pretty, though.
Also, we have received one (1) Christmas card so far. I like to put all the cards up around a doorway, and that doorway is looking PRETTY PITIFUL with one little card stuck to it. It is TWO WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE, people! Get with the cards! …Oh, what about MY cards? Still not out. Waiting for photos. *cough*
We picked up our tree on Saturday morning, and it is still on our front porch. Maybe it’ll be up by next Saturday….
SAME DEAL HERE on Xmas cards!! Not even my early-bird arrivals have arrived yet. Well, okay, ONE of them has, she’s always an overachiever. My photo has been ordered but probably won’t arrive for another 4 days and THANK GOD, because I have too much other crap to do.
We don’t have kids and we still haven’t found the time to make Christmas cards. Horrible time managers, we are.
I’ve had the tree up for a few weeks and the inside of the house is all decorated. I sent my Christmas cards complete with Christmas stamps. That is as far as I am going though. I CANNOT bring myself to drag down the lights for the bushes and the reindeer for the yard this year. I’m just not feeling it. The only reason my gifts are wrapped is because my husband did 99% of the wrapping and I just stuck tags and bows on them.
I’m sorry about your tree! That sounds so scary.
My office, which is on the eighth floor of this building, has a giant, giant, REAL Christmas tree in it. You can smell the charming piny smell everywhere. I have no idea where they found an elevator big enough for it, but I’m happy it’s here.
I love the superyard aka babyjail around the tree. Is there ANY question to which “Put the superyard around it” is NOT the answer?
Not that I have found.
And you guys are wussies. Taking down a tree for SAFETY reasons. Tsk Tsk.
I hope you are planning on reporting that tree to the manufacturer. 75% off does not mean it’s okay to sell a safety hazard. And while you are at it, please tell us what brand that was so we know NOT to buy it. I was thinking of going after Christmas and getting one while they are on sale and I don’t want an experience like that!
I got one of those shocks from my monitor one time, man oh man. Stupid me, I touched it while the screen was on trying to wipe off the dust, and that bolt went right through my middle finger, up through my arm, passed through my chest, down my other arm, and made it’s way out via my OTHER middle finger that was resting on the mouse. The mouse never worked after that, and I’m quite sure I developed a stutter for a few days afterward. I’m glad you are ok.
From Here to There
I only have 3 cards myself! I sent over 35 out over a week ago.
I have the same superyard around my tree.
ugh sorry about the other tree… that is such a downer! I would have totally cancelled after that kind of work!!!
Also, we also only have 1 photo card and 1 regular card. It is really pathetic BUT I have yet to send mine either and have not motivation to get them out… UGH.
ugh sorry about the other tree… that is such a downer! I would have totally cancelled after that kind of work!!!
Also, we also only have 1 photo card and 1 regular card. It is really pathetic BUT I have yet to send mine either and have not motivation to get them out… UGH.
ugh sorry about the other tree… that is such a downer! I would have totally cancelled after that kind of work!!!
Also, we also only have 1 photo card and 1 regular card. It is really pathetic BUT I have yet to send mine either and have not motivation to get them out… UGH.
We’ve only gotten two cards so far. Hurry it up, people! I can’t send mine out until I get yours with your address in the corner of the envelope. I lost my address book, so I got bupkis until someone sends me their damn card!
I think I’ll only send cards to people who send them to me first.
We put up the tree last weekend. But I’ve had my cards that long and haven’t put them up yet. So I’m 1 for 1. I just can’t find the oomph to get them all stickered and stamped and etc. Then there’s the sticker shock I’ll have at the post office when I have to buy a roll of stamps.
My Christmas spirit has been coming and going. Today it’s gone. I’m just tired and grumpy. So maybe I’ll get those cards sent out tomorrow to cheer myself up! :-) Ha.
Putting up cards? I actually meant sending them out. Perhaps I’ve suffered a shock too and just don’t realize it. I think I’d better go lie down. Yawn.
i just put up my tree last night. so far my cat has a) climbed up the trunk several times, b) fallen out of the tree several times, breaking most of the lower branches as he crashes back to the floor, and c) removed all ornaments on the lower 1/3 of the tree. he seems to be enjoying the christmas spirit.
Natalie- I got a very good response from the manufacturer: the perfect combination of panic and concern. My dad is familiar with electrical stuff, and he thinks it’s that a wire from the lights mumble mumble attached to the tree trunk making a mumble mumble situation. In other words, this particular defect wouldn’t be typical of the other, same trees. I’m reluctant even to give the brand, because it looks like it’s one of those fluke things, not something that would make the whole brand dangerous.
I bet if you post your address you’ll get lots of cards. ;-)
If you’d give us your address, you could probably cover a room with all the cards you’d get!
Today we got our third card, but it actually is the second, because I should not be counting one the INSURANCE COMPANY sent us.
I totally taped it up, though, because I felt so lame for only having one card up at the time.
This year we decided not to worry about outside lights. Maybe next year.
I’m glad you got a good response from the manufacturer, that is comforting. I had to complain about a safety hazard with Lego’s one time and Lego responded just as they should. I think that says a lot about a company. :)
Ouch on the shocks! The tree looks good. We received our first holiday card the day after Thanksgiving. It arrived in the same batch as a Happy Thanksgiving card. After that there’s only been 2. It’s nice when everyone else is as slow as me.
I noticed your superyard around the tree. Is that up for Henry? Is there an age where you can stop protecting the tree from your kids? Or should I plan to have our superyard up until they leave for college?
Everyone I know is having trouble getting their cards out this year. I just took mine to the post office this morning, so I’m not doing much better!
Close call! The tree is pretty, though.
I just finished writing mine last night- now to find the time to lick them and close – sigh…. then go to the postoffice… this might take a while.
My received christmas card count =O
Hope you get a replacement tree!
Mommy Brain- It’s to protect the poor tree from the affections of the twins. They are PRETTY good about not touching it, but it is SO TEMPTING they sometimes give in.
Alas, we are waiting for pictures as well for holiday cards.
I am going to harass Snapfish right now.
And around here abouts, it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the air conditioning is on and the kids are wearing shorts. O Global Warming, ruiner of Holidays. ;)
It looks like such an unassuming tree. Tricky, that one.
I just got shocked the other day whilst trying to be all cool and replace the faulty light switch myself without telling Jim. I was truly horrified, worried I was going to be permanently brain damanaged, etc. If someone were torturing me with electic shock, I would TOTALLY talk.
We have about 10 cards so far. I have not sent mine out yet. I’m in love with this photo of our kids from vacation this year but the hub is insistent on using an actual winter photo with kids in hats and mittens outside. WTF. That’s what I have to say about it.
Well, I’m glad to hear it’s for the twins and not for William. I can handle another year or two of a jailed tree.
My husband was/has been out of town around all prime time of getting a family photo done and I can’t seem to get it together enough to go get Owen’s picture taken for Christmas (I’m still hoping to manage to get it done, crossing fingers).
I even went to a special scrapbooking/stamping class and made our cards for this year (so cute! so pretty!)–can you tell we don’t have a huge list to send to–and I still can’t seem to get it together to put some sort of Holiday greeting in them and send them off.
We haven’t received any cards yet…I guess everybody must be a little behind this year.
We made a video “christmas card” this year, and my husband stayed up until 1am last night burning dvds and making photo labels for them. Maybe they will go out on Wednesday… maybe a few days later.
I got my tree decorated and icicle lights up outside the house. Too bad I live in the most windy neighborhood in the pacific northwest… the lights keep blowing up on the roof so it looks like we have sections of lights out. LOVELY!
I have a feeling the neighbors aren’t going to get cookie plates this year.
Christmas card received count – 3
(We send out 100 every year.)