Tree trimming at the Fortner's!

On Sunday, as a family, we decorated the Christmas tree. This is a prime example of those family moments that you picture in your mind as a beautiful, picturesque tradition. The kids picking out their favorite ornaments, letting mom and dad tell stories of their ornaments, Christmas music in the background, Christmas cookies and cocoa being served...... Yeah right! Let's re-live the Fortner tree trimming shall we? Turn your web page if you're easily upset and become nauseous easily. Okay it wasn't that bad, but still it was pretty horrific. In my humble estimation that is.

The kids were chomping at the bit all day. Jarrod and I had strung new lights on our tree this year, plus made a beautiful garland to string across the top of our entertainment center. Its really beautiful. We have a big tote full of ornaments. Old and new, store-bought and handmade, school and home projects, all crammed into a box. Some wrapped in newspaper lovingly and some tossed in because they are indestructible. Anyways lots of ornaments. Some we opt not to put on our tree for fragile and/or sentimental reasons. So I am the ornament monitor. I hold this long box on my lap on the couch while the kids are handed or find ornaments to put on the tree.

Everything seems more complicated with a lot of kids. Sometimes they are complicated in a good way. Like when Jarrod and I referee a game of football or soccer out in the yard with all the kids and extraneous neighbor kids. But tree trimming is complicated and NOT in a good way. First off my husband set the wrong tone, with the boys egging him on. They were watching a football game when we decided to start decorating the tree. Much to my dismay, and my mental image of this event, they boys and my husband all gave me their "looks" when I gently (When I say gentle, I mean screaming from the kitchen to turn that darned game off) suggested we shut off the TV. So in all our photos there's the darned game. I did rationalize that 4 maybe 5/7 of the family wanted the football game on, so for family peace I didn't fight it. So the background TV noise and flashing was off-putting, to me anyways.

The boys still very much wanted to hang ornaments, but as with most things and boys, it became a competition. Who could hang the most ornaments? Who can do it the fastest? Who can put them up the highest? Who can find the nascar driving Santa first? You getting the picture? Making me a little ill re-living it all, but for posterity sake I shall continue.

So while the boys are in a mad dash to hang all the ornaments as quickly and noisily as possible...Oh didn't I mention the noise? OMG they were all yelling and throwing elbows. While OJ and Wyatt were truly enjoying looking at each valuable and priceless ornament. Wyatt wanted to know the name of each one he got, then he would sit on the floor and want to play with it, typical two year old stuff. Then he would go to the tree and hang or just set the ornament on the same two or three branches. He had a nice little clump going. Then OJ or one of the older boys would invade his area, take an ornament to move it or look at it, and Wyatt's screeching and howling would commence. OJ would get upset the the tree wasn't in balance and did NOT want to put on the non-breakable ball ornaments. She only wanted to handle the very special and unique ornaments. Ones that had no look-alikes. This is so OJ, can I just tell you.

So after 30 nauseating minutes of this, Jarrod and I yell at the top of our lungs that tree trimming is over and all need to get ready for bed. We were OD'd for sure. The noise had our ears ringing, and our patience had all but disappeared. To our credit, we held out a lot longer than usual when the noise hits a certain level. We did it hoping to salvage a tradition, and we got through it. Not as imagined, but its one of those things I hope my kids will look back on with humor. I know that many of those moments from my childhood, my mom will cringe when she remembers, but us kids would laugh and joke about. Its what makes large families so different and fun.

My kids might not always get along, heck they might break out in a brawl in the middle of the living room. But sometimes they do. Sometimes they all play a game together. Peacefully. Sometimes my 10 year old reads my 4 year old a book, in a five minute truce in their otherwise hate/hate relationship. Sometimes my 7 year old starts reading "Super Diaper Baby" and all the kids pile on one cushion on the couch to listen and laugh, and beg to get parts re-read. Sometimes my 9 and 2 year olds play cars for an hour without fight or harsh word to each other or others. Sometimes the boys will tolerate their only sister singing and dancing in the middle of the living room, and even be the audience she dreams of. These are the moments that I pray they remember when they are older. And as for the hectic, manic, and crazy(not so great) moments, I hope they can joke and find these moments as something that binds them as one, for life.