When I was growing up, my parents didn’t argue much; they had just one argument a year. On the same day each year. Over the same issue each year. The great trigger: which Christmas tree to buy.
I’m not sure why it was such a pressure in their life but even now my Dad refuses to go to the Christmas Tree farm with my Mum. I think I have escaped relatively unscarred by the unreconciled Christmas argument although I do always feel a bit sweatier than I should around pine candles.
If the Christmas tree argument is hereditary, I have been saved by IKEA. It has become my family’s tradition and unlike many IKEA related activities it has, over the last few years, proved relatively stress-free and increasingly Christmas(y). The tree even comes pre-assembled although they leave the decorating and putting it in a stand up to you.
Adlai (and Faith) insist on putting the tree up as soon as we walk in the door. It took me a while to locate my tree stand but I eventually found it attached to last years Christmas tree at the back of my garden… I think I’d intended on putting it in the chiminea in the summer, but forgot about its existence. After removing the family of slugs from the stand, the tree was up…sure it leans slightly westward, but it is up.
The boys did most of the ‘decorating’ and to be honest it’s not going to feature in any Ideal Home magazine but it’s festive and there was little-to-no arguing. Most of the decorations are constantly moving around as Koa tries to eat them…he hasn’t managed it yet, but advent is only just getting started. I think we might buy some candy canes to hang on the tree as, if he succeeds, at least they’re better than glass baubles.
