Well, we went and did it.

See that?

Yep, it's a Christmas tree. And not even a fake one. I wasn't sure when we ditched the old fake one in Casper if there was a reason to be packing up some of the decorations, but I guess there was. It's not leaning, but it has a funky shape to it and has a definite bow to the trunk and the branches we discovered when we got it home are longer on one side.

I chased the guy off to read the paper while I decorated after a snide comment about my lights before I even started getting them on. It takes some tinkering, it does. This picture looks like I did some filter tinkering but I didn't. I think it was just a combination of the tree lights and the light coming in from the kitchen that did something.

We don't have a lot of decorations but that's okay. What survived the thinning and the move about filled out this tree perfectly. We'll look for a real star topper this year and not just leave the Ol'Tigger up there.I can't wait to come home in the evenings to smell it and have the light bring a little shine to the evenings for the next three weeks or so. With a definite lack of snow I am feeling the dark this december and counting down to the solstice that is just a couple weeks away. With the long work days, I am walking the boys in the dark, going to work as the sun is just getting settled into the sky and coming home in the dark. I want light! Ah well... That's winter, right?

This is a Scott Pine, and it confirmed that I have a little pine allergy. Being winter it shouldn't be dropping any pollen so I'll be fine, but where just the needles prick me you can see what my skin does. I handled it gently but even after a couple washings and lotion by hands are burning a bit tonight. Just in case there's pine oil left somewhere on my hands I think I will skip flossing. That could be ugly. What's the holidays without a bit of contact dermatitis? I was careful to wear long sleeves as you see. I'm not completely foolish after this summers lines of blisters where I was scratched by those pine boughs in the yard. Makes so much more sense as an adult looking back on things that irritated my skin as a kid. Like the summer we thought I was having a mysterious allergy to grass and we had really cut down a pine in the yard and there was probably oil and sap still on the un-mowed grass I was laying in... Ahhh, that darn hind-site.

I hope everyone else's holidays are starting to light up. If your stressing, stop it. This is supposed to be a time of joy and love shared with those you surround yourself with. Not gifts and stress. Take a step back and rediscover the joy.