Tuesday, December 09, 2008

WFMW: O Tannenbaum

I've decided we're getting a real tree! A couple of farms nearby have fresh trees and I'm going to take the kids to get one this week. I'm so excited for how much they're going to love it.

Even though we're going to have a real tree, I'm still going to use this Christmas scent that I discovered last year. If you have a fake tree and want the fresh Christmas tree smell, you have to get Tree:

"Tree is the perfect blend of fresh douglas fir, sweet musk, warm vanilla, crisp winter air and enchanting Christmas magic."

(I didn't realize Christmas magic smelled like anything, but if it does, it smells like Tree. Tree works for me. And for my sister.)


I mentioned this scent in a post from last December. It's one of my favorite posts so I'm putting a slightly shorter version of it below:

I've been thinking a lot about what makes Christmas at home magical for me. My family has always had a lot of traditions and I want the same thing for my kids. We trimmed the tree tonight and I had to laugh at what will eventually become the new Christmas traditions for our children.

First, instead of going to the woods, or even to a Christmas tree lot to pick out a tree, Mike made the trek into the storage room in our basement and hauled up the giant box that holds our fake Christmas tree. It comes out of the box looking more like a green rectangle than a tree, so we spent a good half hour pulling the branches apart and trying to make it look "real." This is a painful process because those wires are really jabby!

While we trimmed the tree I wanted Christmas music, so I set up my laptop and played youtube Christmas slide shows set to Nat King Cole, Andy Williams and Karen Carpenter songs. My daughter decorated the bottom half of the tree with kid ornaments and I did the top with nice ones, and maybe I will re-do it while she's sleeping tonight. My mom always did, and Mike says his mom did too.

After we finished the tree we washed our hands. Not because of sticky pine sap. Mainly because of the lead warnings on the tree and on the lights. Seriously, can't we make anything without lead in it?

Finally, I plugged in a pine scented air freshener to get that Christmas tree smell in the air. It is good and actually does smell like a tree! After decorating the Christmas tree I wanted us to sit down to a nice dinner of comfort food, so Mike warmed up a can of soup for him and Olivia to share.

What wonderful traditions our children will have to look back on and try to recreate with their own kids, haha. The best part is that Olivia really DID have a great time. I think maybe Christmas can be magic regardless of whether the soup's from a can and the tree smell is an air freshener. Maybe the magic is about family doing Christmas things together.

What are your family's holiday traditions?

And for more great ideas, go here for Works For Me Wednesday!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love real trees! For the past 5 years we have gone and cut down our tree, then we go out to lunch. It is a fun tradition!
Toni

Carol said...

I've never been very good with real trees. I forget they need to be watered so we end up unwrapping needle-covered gifts on Christmas morn.

I like the idea of using that pine scented stuff, though. I may try that.

Candace said...

Having a real Christmas tree is what makes it start feeling like Christmas to me. We put a fake one in my daughters room and a real one in the living room. I might have to find that scent though just to spread the smell throughout the house!

Audra Krell said...

We've always had a fake tree due to allergies, etc. I can honestly say I've never thought of trying to make it smell like a real one. What fun this will be -thanks!

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

The real trees bother my daughter adn myself so bad that we can't use them. I totally redecorate the tree, which is why I gave the little guy his own this year to do anything he wanted with. . .all 12 ornaments smack dab in the middle. I really want to correct, but I promised. . .thanks for stopping by my blog!

Lynzee said...

I love the Tree smell! It's wafting through my house right now and making everything smell Christmas-y. Real or fake, a Christmas tree brings the magic to the holiday.