The Wiegman Family: A New Tradition.... or NOT!

It seems that when you have a child, your thinking begins to change. You look at things with a whole new mentality. This is definitely true when it comes to my baby daddy. He used to be...well... somewhat of a grinch. He would say things like, "Let's not spend money on eachother for Christmas, it's just a waste. Or, why are you hanging stockings for just us? Or, maybe we shouldn't get a Christmas tree this year since they are so messy." Well, once we had Mya his mentality has changed. I'm not sure if it's because he wants her to appreciate the "meaning" of Christmas, enjoy the traditions that go along with the holiday, or perhaps the fact that he works 80 hours a week and feels he can now "afford" this crazy, over-commecialized holiday. Whatever it is, I like it..... I think.

As the holiday season began to near (Was that after Halloween this year? I think it gets earlier and earlier each year.), Matt proposed a new tradition to me. He said he wanted to go as a family to cut down our Christmas tree. Great idea, in theory. But, I know my husband. I know that, in fact, I would probably be the one chopping down the tree as he stood and admired my strength. Mya would probably be screaming because it would be -10 degrees, and we would argue over which tree was the very best tree of all the trees on the entire tree farm.

Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE the fact that Mr. Grinch has transformed in Mr. Claus! He even said, "We have a family now. I want my family to have gifts under the tree." I love that he wants to go as a family to get a tree. What I didn't love was the following. Here's my TOP TEN REASONS WE MUST END THIS HOLIDAY TRADITION:

1.) 1.5 drive to the Christmas tree farm. Does he know that Home Depot is 5 minutes from our house and has a fantastic "tree farm?"

2.) Mya was dressed in 3 layers of clothes and was whining before we even got out of the car.

3.) The petting zoo and reindeer exhibit was closed when we got there. (That was the part I was most excited about.)

4.) We had to walk 1 mile to get to the "best trees."

5.) We couldn't make up our minds about what tree we liked, and they soon all started to look the same.....crappy.

6.) Our "saw" we were given was dull and floppy.

7.) Halfway through Matt turned to me and said, "Do you want to give it a try, I feel like I'm having a repeat of our snowmobiling experience?" (I predicted that one, hunh?)

8.) Mya screamed for about 30 minutes straight, during and after the knocking down of our tree.

9.) It was 30 degrees outside.

10.) The tree cost $100.

For the record, Matt did cut down the tree entirely by himself! He even carried it the 1 mile back to the car by himself. Once we got over the horror of the experience, we were able to get our tree up in the house. It isn't the most beautiful tree in the world, but it was chopped down with love. Mya loved helping Mommy and Daddy water and decorate the tree. She even helped put the star on the top. We look at the lights every night and every morning. Although it wasn't the best experience, it was great to spend time as a family. Perhaps next year we can think of a warmer, cheaper tradition. Any ideas?