Family history has it that my grandparents almost got divorced about the purchase of a christmas tree in 1948. Apparently, my Grandfather kept promising to get one but kept putting it off until, on the 23rd, Grandma herself went out to buy one. They ended up with two trees (and probably not the best on the lot either). But that was 1948 and divorces weren’t easy to come by so they reconciled. Given the prevalence of easy divorces now, it might be a good idea to avoid the same problem.

Okay, maybe that’s putting it a bit strongly. Hopefully, your relationship is strong enough to withstand a Christmas Tree Argument. But Christmas tree purchases can lead to major family tensions. Which of course is not at all what the holiday season is about. So I spent a bit of time doing some research on how to get the perfect Christmas tree and will share some of these tips with you.

1. Do not wait until the last moment (Remember my grandparents!). Actually, mid-November is the best time. The sooner you buy, the better your choices. However, if you are looking for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and do not plan on putting it up for long, you might wait and get a last minute deal.
2. Decide if you need a real tree or want to stick with an artificial tree. Artificial trees may be cleaner and less expensive, but for me only a real tree is the right thing (just think of the smell). Still, tastes and needs are different so you may feel different. If you are severely allergic to evergreen trees or if your rental agreement prohibits the use of real Christmas trees (yep, that can happen) do not dispair. Artificial trees are now quite good quality (or so I’ve been told).
3. Before you go out to buy your tree, decide where you want to put it. Find a place for the tree where it will be out of the way and safe from danger (Hard to do if you have a toddler, I know. One year we built a small fence around ours!) If the tree will be positioned against a wall or in a corner and not all sides are easily visible, you have the option of saving some money by buying a less perfect tree. After all, why pay for perfection that noone will notice? Measure carefully (height and width) and check your tree stand to make sure the tree of your dreams will fit.
4. Take a tape measure along for when you go out to get your tree. Don’t forget an old blanket to protect your car and rope to attach the tree to your car.
5. Most Christmas trees grow on tree farms where it takes around 10 years from it to develop from a seed to a 7 ft Christmas tree. You have several options for buying a tree:
   • You can get a tree at a cut-your-own farm (if you are not handy with an axe check beforehand if they will do the cutting for you)
   • At a lot
   • On the internet: This saves time but takes away the fun of chosing out in the lot (or on the farm). Especially handy for anyone who has trouble transporting the tree home afterwards.

Stay tuned for a second post about how to choose the perfect Christmas Tree in which I will talk about how to find the right tree for you.

Christmas is really coming close now. I can’t believe St. Martin’s (November 11 th) is right around the corner. High time to start making our St. Martin’s lanterns for this year.
One of the nicest traditions here is the annual St. Martin’s parade that takes place right around the Saint’s special day. Usually organized by nursery schools or churches, the observance consists of some sort of family service (with the story of the Saint), followed by a lantern-lit parade through the dark neighborhood and often concludes with some sort of snack/treat.
I guess you could reuse your lantern year after year (if you don’t have a couple of boys who are likely to destroy it the first time around and if you can find it again next year). However, here most preschools/playgroups make one every year. My boys’ preschool never makes St. Martin lanterns. That’s just fine with me as making the lantern is a great activity for Family Moment Monday.

This year J. decided he wanted a Star Lantern. Instead of getting instructions and following a template we just came up with our own version:

All you need to make one of these is some stiff posterboard, transparent paper in various colors, and one of the round cardboard thingies you see in the pictures below.
And here are the instructions:

Cut out two star shapes from the posterboard big enough to cover the round paper thingies. J. was a bit impatient so his stars are a bit small - doesn’t really matter though.

Cut holes into the star shapes.

Cover the holes with transparent paper. Cut a hole in the bottom cardboard circle so that you basically end up with two “rims”. Cut a long piece of cardboard (about 2 to 3 inches wide).

Glue one star on each rim. Use a glue gun to attach the length of cardboard to the two rims (I know, I know - you have no idea what I mean by that. That’s why I have added in the pictures. Take a look at the finished lantern and you’ll see what I am talking about). Make sure to leave a space to put the light through.

And there you go, one cool St. Martin lantern. I will post later this week about our St. Martin’s celebration on Tuesday and the lantern walk which is scheduled for next Sunday.

Well, it is almost Saturday. The other day I designated Saturday as my official Christmas-Topic-Post-Day. You may remember that I picked Saturday arbitrarily, and I have to say that right about now I wish I had chosen a different day, any other day. I may have mentioned before that I have a slight (yeah, right) tendency to procrastinate. In any case, Saturday is about here. Not only have I not yet written a Christmas post, but I am also short on a good idea for one right now let alone time to research it.
Still, I do want to stick to my plans at least for a bit (and after all this is the FIRST week so how inefficient would it be to miss it already), so I decided to at least share a neat website for kids with you that I discovered the other day. Seussville offers a bunch of games, coloring pages, crafts and activities connected to the various Dr. Seuss books. What does that have to do with Christmas, you wonder? Well, they have some pages about How the Grinch stole Christmas which J. really loved. He especially enjoyed coloring in the Grinch and Whoville Christmas ornaments.

Actually, he was so prolific (going through four or five copies of the ornaments) that I fear we will need a second Christmas tree just for the kids’ ornaments if he keeps this up. I am generally not a great fan of coloring activities, but J. enjoyed it and there were some other fun activities at the website. And let’s face it, as the holiday season approaches and we get busier and busier any fun and creative activity that will keep the kids occupied for a while is welcome.