Whoa, Christmas Tree!

We decided to add a little extra work to our already hectic schedule this year. In previous years we had either purchased a live tree, or asked a relative if we could cut a tree from their property. The latter being that we usually ended up with a pretty sparse representation of a Christmas tree. This year we went the "U-Cut" route. Dad, Joanna, and Monica headed to Gladesville to cut down our own tree. The specimen they brought home was truly amazing! "It didn't look that big outside", said Monica, who agreed this was the tree for the year. "I think it grows as we look at it!" The tree was, in fact, at least twelve feet tall. How Dad, Joanna, and Monica ever managed to get it inside is still a miracle. "The height reaches almost to the top of the half-moon window", Jessica laughed. "Next year we're getting one that reaches to the peak of the ceiling", Bro. Marshall joked. How they ever got the thing decorated is simply unbelievable. Of course, a ladder and the piano bench were absolutely necessary. This task was completed under great consternation. One side did look like a bear had taken a bite out of it, but that seemed to only add a more "natural" look to the poor thing. Then, the unthinkable happened. The tree fell. All of a sudden, while eating lunch on Saturday, the tree started to tip towards the piano. There was a sound of breaking Christmas balls and cookie-cutout decorations. We thought one of the kids had been pushing on it, but they were nowhere near it. We made sure no one had been underneath the thing before trying to set it back upright. "The heat may have made it fall", Jonathan told us. Well, the day was quite sunny, and the cabin had been warming up. But the tree's spine was already crooked and though it had been secured to the wall at the base, apparently that had not done the trick. After cleaning up the water and decorations strewn about, Dad wired the top of the tree to the wall. So far, it hasn't repeated the same trick. Check out pictures of our mammoth tree in the gallery.