A change of heart

Look what I found in the living room corner.  This little set up reminded me of the joy in childrens' hearts this time of year and brought me back to my youth.

I remember laying under the Christmas tree and squinting up at the lights to make the colors blur together. 

I recall looking at my reflection in the ornaments and imagining living in the shiny red or green world. 

I've been pretty bummed this year because we don't have enough lights for our 7-foot Christmas tree.  And to add enough strings of lights to our tree adds up pretty fast.  I can't bring myself to pay $129 for a skinny 7-foot prelit tree with pine cones on it.  So I'm waiting until the after-Christmas sales to get a new one.

We have this little tree and half the lights on it don't work.  But they're still on it because half of each of the strings DO work.  It's gross.  Don't look close. 

But no matter how negative I feel about my sad harrassed little tree, my kids love it.  And they want to turn the lights on all day long.  They want to handle the ornaments and redecorate it.  They want to lay under it and daydream.  They want to be kids enjoying Christmastime.  So I'm letting them.  I have had a change of heart.