A Good Fit

Twenty degrees below zero is reason to stay inside.... ..... ..... except when three overly excited chickadees want to venture out to find just the right Christmas tree.

A light snow was falling from Wyoming skies as TD and the girls walked down the aisle of their local nursery looking for a tree that would be a good fit for their first Christmas in their new home. 

Cautious  liked the trees with long needles, sweeping branches and protruding tops that could appropriately hold an angel.

 Sparky liked the trees that were dark green, tall and slender with short spiky needles.

After close inspection of every row and every tree they decided upon one whose needles were not too long nor too short.

It had a bare branch on top that would hold an angle, or a star or a big red bow.  On one side there was an open space that might not be acceptable to some, but to the chickadees it looked like a great place to pile extra Christmas lights. And set against the window next to their fireplace would be the perfect spot for Santa's to drop off his stash.

All that was left to do was to hoist her up, tie her down and head for home where she would be decked in glam.

Children get wildly excited over anything that has even a hint of celebration attached to it.  Lugging heavy boxes from the attic or basement is not my idea of fun.  But every box that TD opened prompted the telling of a story about Christmas past or baby's first ornament.

Although the girls were eager to decorate the tree they had to practice patience while waiting for the lights to be strung.  It is said that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle tangled Christmas lights.

 

Before long the tree was under construction.... soon to become adorned in chickadee beauty.

From the movement of little fingers to the stretching of graceful arms, a big hug surrounded the little tree with the hole in the side and bare branch on top.

Ornaments new, old, handmade and symbolic hung from it's branches as it twinkled with splendor in a new house on a new block celebrating a brand new Christmas.

29. I am grateful for little hands that open boxes, tie bows, turn the pages of a book and hug another.  

I hope your Thursday is one that ends in splendor.  I hope you get to practice patience.  I hope the reward for your practice is a new delight in an old heart on an ordinary day.