Sunday, December 9, 2007

If You Love to Laugh at the missfortune of others this story is for you!!!
For those of you who have been at my house at christmas time before, you will notice that the tree Courtney is decorating is not my usual tree. No it did not shrink.
The story all starts on the morning of Thanksgiving (the fourth thursday in November for you Canadian folks). I asked Jack to get the Christmas totes out of the attic for me and place them on the landing, because that way I could have them out of the way while I decorated a bit each day. I normally try to do it all on Thanksgiving day and the day after Thanksgiving, but things have been hetic around here and I knew it was not going to happen, so I thought if we left them upstairs at least they would not be an eyesore downstairs.
So Jack did just that. Well that morning Courtney was so excited she kept asking me if we could get the tree up that day. I had a few things to do in the morning and then we were invited for a thanksgiving feast at a friends home, so I told her when we got home from that we would put of the tree.
Jack had to work at 3pm so I came home from our feast at friends at the same time. Courtney had seen my friend had her home all decorated and was repeatedly telling me at the party "mommy we can get up our tree today right?"
As soon as we were in the door I kissed Jack goodbye as he left for work and I went upstairs to get the christmas tree. Now we have a big huge pre-lit tree (or at least we had) and it fits in a big huge box that was placed in back of all the christmas totes. Our hallway upstairs is narrow and rather than move all the christmas totes out of the way to get the tree through, I decided to slide it over the totes and simply catch it at the other end.
WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Things did not go as planed. Instead of catching the tree it bounced off the top step and proceeded to smash my landing window into a thousand pieces and then park itself on the roof of the small overhang for the side door.
So I spent 45 minutes cleaning up glass and first searching for covering supplies and then covering the now very broken window. And still the whole time courtney is asking "MOM when are you going to get to the tree!!"
Finally I get it out of the big box and get it together, and then comes the next hassle ( I mentioned it was prelit right), I plug it in only to discover two sections no longer light up.
NO PROBLEM I think to myself, I will just simply unwrap the limbs and put on new lights. 2 hours later I am still trying to figure out just how the company got those lights so well wrapped around the branches and Courtney is still within 5 inches of me the whole time saying "MOM your going to get it up today right!!!!"
Not wanting to disappoint my 5 year old who still thinks her mom is a super woman, I decide to take desperate measures. I throw the tree back into the box whip out my bank card and go to the open 24 hours even on national holiday "walgreens" located just 10 minutes away to purchase a new tree!!!
Now Walgreens displays all its trees on the top shelf about 7 feet up in the air. I first thought that this was because that way they could be seen from outside, (I now discovered their secret).
I quickly pick out the biggest non prelit tree they have (I am never doing a prelit tree again!!!) throw it in the cart along with a bar of dark chocolate (because oh how badly I need some chocolate therapy by now!!!!), and enough lights to keep ten christmas trees going ( I am not taking any chances that I might not have enough at this point). I take time to grumble loudly to the clerk and the customers in line about the hazzles of prelit trees as I cash out then pop quickly back into my car and head home.
We get it home, Courtney is estatic finally a tree. I put it up, now the box says 6.5 feet, so apparently I myself am now over 7 feet high!!! (wow I grew from 5'10" to 7 feet in a day!!!!) cause the tree only goes up to my nose!!. At this point I no longer care, I give up, throw some lights on it, and enjoy decorating it with Courtney.
Turns out I am not the only one who has been tricked by those 7 feet off the ground displays, I have had two other people now tell me they have the walgreens charley brown specials in their own homes!!!
Oh well I will wait till after christmas sales this year and get back my big tree but this time it will not be pre-lit!!!
Oh and by the way, I placed the old tree out on the curb and someone took it within hours. I hope they have the patience of a saint, cause they are going to need it!!!!

2 comments:

Toby Johnson said...

First time on the blog, Victoria. Though disastrous for you, this story was really great to read. By the way, the Canada in you is still leaking through...Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday in November.

Hope you guys have a great holiday. Maybe you could be the next Griswold family!

Victoria said...

Okay, you will now notice that is says the fourth thursday (opps!!!).