putting up a Christmas tree when....

putting up a Christmas tree when your mother has undiagnosed OCD.  so i know many may be wondering about my health (haha) but today i am going to focus on the tree scene at our home.  of course there is no reason putting up a tree should be so difficult...but for me it is!  This was the first year the kids could truly help.  years past i have allowed them to think they are helping.  sweet aidan helped me drag the branches, pole, and ornaments from the basement.  all branches needed to be laid in proper color coded areas, while i assembled the base.  the kids jumped right in placing the branches on the tree.  and aidan helped me wrap the lights, and beads around the tree.  then came the ornaments.  honestly i am person who needs ornaments in a certain location.  I just can't have a breakable ornament at the bottom, or a wooden ornament at the top.  the tree has limited space and needs to be planned accordingly.  i know you are now thinking, "crazy woman..let your kids have fun. loosen up!"  and i have tried.  but as the ornaments went on the tree, i cringed.  chan of course is putting them any which way all over the bottom.  brooke has placed all hers right on the front.  and aidan is attempting to follow some sort of pattern on the tree- one front, one side, one back, etc.  me, well of course i am adjusting.  placing breakables up high.  taking back of the tree ornaments hung on the front and placing them in rightful place on back of tree.  aidan looks at me and says, "mom are you ok?"  i respond that i am a little nervous that they may not be in the right location.  he just smiles, shakes his head, and asks me were to move them.  so towards the end, things got on track!  the kids starting asking,  "mom is this a back, side, or front of the tree ornament."  smiling i would gently tell them were to place the special memory.  the tree looked lovely, not perfect, but lovely.  we admired it.  we took pictures of it.  we took pictures of the kids laying under it.  then ranger heard a noise outside, squeezed himself up by the tree to see out the window, and spun the tree front to back.  and of course i smiled...no total lie!  i yelled at the dog to get out of the living room and not come back in until after Christmas!

this little ramble is dedicated to my friend Monica who understands exactly what i mean!  and my friend Julie who has the courage to let her kids be kids and decorate the tree themselves!  love you both!