So, here’s the deal. Christmas changes when you have a baby. Astonishing, no?

Last night we decorated our Christmas tree. Now, if you haven’t figured this out already, you’ve really missed something, but I am the Queen of Tradition. Change is not good, ever. Even good changes will have a tinge of something bittersweet in them. I know that’s something I really should get over, but, I try. And I fail every time.

Anyway… Change Number One. Since we’re going to Colorado for Christmas, we opted out of our usual tall, live tree for, instead, a little four footer which came in a box. Not ideal, but, ya do what ya gotta do. We weren’t going to get any tree, but this is Troy’s first Christmas and so, we changed our mind.

So we put up our little pre-lit tree (with colored lights, of course, as per tradition of my family for all of my growing up years–until they went traitor on me in high school and went with Mom’s wish for white lights :grin:), turned on our pretty Christmas music, fixed our coffee (I’m sooo into coffee right now–A Very Bad Thing), and began to get out the ornaments.

Change Number Two. Ornaments can no longer be set out all over the floor. Little Hands think they would make good toys. That was expected, but, really, the coffee table doesn’t work anymore either. Little Legs like to stand these days.

We placed ornaments, reminisced about each one (John’s homemade paper star from when he was five, my special Crayola ornaments from my grandma, the canoe we got on our honeymoon in Alaska, a dough ornament my parents made on their first Christmas and gave us on ours, John’s ornaments that are older than me :grin:), “helped” Troy put his first little candy cane ornament on the tree, took lots of pictures, put the angel on the top of the tree… and smiled at our pretty outcome.

Change Number Three. Christmas ornaments cannot be hung too low on the tree. When our tree is only four feet tall as it is, that’s a little hard to accomplish, but it’s a non-negotiable. I realized the importance this morning when I caught Troy with a little red train in his hands. No more playing by the tree while Mommy folds laundry nearby.

Change Number Four. People say they worry about cats climbing trees, well, let me tell you, dogs are the real culprit. Our kitty, Miss Gracie-Lazy-Bones, prefers to sit behind or under the tree, but our dear sweet doggie, Belle-the-Always-Beloved (What’s that you say? Oh, honesty is the best policy? Okay, then… it depends on the day), is another story. How can a simple dog tail do so much damage? I mean, I saw the whole thing, and it was just one little swipe of the tail, a little too close to the tree. But… I spent a little while setting upright and re-decorating the tree this morning.

So far, these have been the only real changes this year, and, yes, they are pretty inconsequential, but to the Queen of Tradition…