My Life in a Jar # 12

Describe getting a Christmas Tree with your family as a child. How did you decorate it, when did you put it up etc.
The family would all bundle up as we went from lot to lot to pick out the very best tree we could find. This usually meant going to several different lots to find just the right tree that we could all agree on. It usually took at least 2-3 hours. A lot of the times we'd end up going back to one of the first lots we had looked at. It was usually in the evening after Dad and Mom got home from work, so that meant it was cold and dark. Most places would have a fire going so we could stand next to it to get warm. There were times that it would be snowing a little. We would usually get our tree the week after Thanksgiving. Because of the cold we would have to let the tree stand in a warm place for a day or two before we could decorate it. We would usually flock our tree, so that took another day to let the flocking dry. By the time we could decorate it we were beyond excited. Dad put the lights on and the kids and Mom would do the rest of the decorating as we listened to Christmas music on the record player. Mom would usually have hot choc. for us as we finished decorating it and before we'd head for bed.
One year while I was in high school, we decided we wouldn't flock the tree that year. Since Mom and Dad were both working Karen, Craig and I decided we would bring the tree in the house and decorate it to surprise our parents. After we had decorated it we really didn't like it not being flocked. So we took off the lights and ornaments and decided we'd flock it. Now Karen and I were ready to take it outside to flock it but no.... Craig would have nothing to do with that. He claimed we could just do it in the house. After all it was warm in there and the flocking would dry faster so we could still get it decorated before Mom and Dad got home. After some discussion we decided to give it a try. To flock a tree you have to have the snow which is in a bag that is hooked to a spray with water. It is then hooked to a shop vacuum which has been switched to blow the air out. You then aim it at the branches and spray. Sound simple? It is, but it's also a little difficult controlling where the spray goes. It wasn't long before we realized we had made a huge mistake flocking it in the house. Flocking was everywhere, on the furniture the walls, the curtains and even on us. Did we stop? Of course not, we could clean it up after, since we had already started there was no reason to stop and take it outside. Well before long the tree was flocked and the cleaning started. It wasn't to bad to clean because it was still wet. We got it all cleaned up and were pretty proud of ourselves because no one would have to know that we had done it in the house. (we patted ourselves on our backs because we had been so cleaver). We then proceeded to decorate it and were happy with the final results. Mom and dad were surprised and happy that it was one less thing they had to take care of. However after Christmas when we were taking the tree down, there on the walls behind the tree was flocking that we had forgotten to clean off. Now we had to fess up to Mom and dad that we had flocked it in the house. Mom and Dad neither one got mad at us they just informed us it would be up to us to clean the flocking off the walls. After it had hardened for several weeks it was not an easy job. I remember scrubbing and scraping, being careful not to tear the wall paper as we worked on cleaning up a mess, that could have been avoided if we had just done it right in the first place. Craig no longer thought his idea was so great as Karen and I tried to convince Mom and Dad that since it was his idea he should have to clean it by himself. We were considered guilty by association so the three of us scrubbed and scrapped until the walls were clean. You can bet we NEVER flocked a tree in the house again.