No One was harmed in the creation of the tree!

Do any of you have traditions you regret?  Wish you had never started?  Wish they had been forgotten?

I know in years to come this will be a fond memory for our kids, but this year it was not.  Back in the day when there was one child we always finished off decorating the Christmas tree by having Mark raise the child up and placing the Angel on top of the tree.  Child #2 comes along and the first few years she is too young to care.  Then we started alternating turns.  Child #3 comes along strong willed and wants his way ALL the time.  Mom and Dad are older and can't remember if they brushed their teeth that morning let alone who put the darn Angel on the tree last year.  But kids sure think they can remember!  Somehow this year it almost came to blows.

We really should not try to decorate the tree on or shortly there after Black Friday when we are already lacking in sleep, but somehow we do it every year.  This year was no exception.  We even bought a new PRE lit tree on Friday (yipee I was always in charge of putting on the lights!).  So we spend the afternoon and next morning decorating and remember all the fun ornaments we have.  Then it comes time to place the Angel.  All the kids think it is THEIR turn and NO ONE can remember who did it last year.

Solution . . .


We put the kids initials on paper and put them in the bottom of the Angel for a random drawing.  Jessica was selected to pick out the name (so if it wasn't her name she could not complain and pout and cry)

Somehow she was the lucky winner.  And in order to eliminate this torture next year the drawing continued.

John is the lucky winner for this special privilege next year.

And so Ashley is the unlucky winner of having to wait two more years before it is her turn.

Please note Mark's concentration in this picture.

 And so we don't have to rely on Mom and Dad's bad memory in the future the schedule is now recorded in the bottom of the Angel for all to see and no one to argue!

 And so the lucky winner got to put the Angel on top to finish off our beautiful tree.

And no one got hurt this year and hopefully in years to come!