Through a child's eye

We put up our half Christmas tree Saturday night. Bill wanted to put the whole thing up and he couldn't believe it when I told him I threw half of it away last year. It wasn't until we were on the fourth row up that we realized the bottom row of branches were in fact, on the floor and not in the holes designed to hold them. What to do?

Why stick them in right in the middle of course. Kinda makes for a Christmas shrub, but I was OK with it as opposed to re-doing the tree. For several years I have wanted a new tree. The kind of tree that has a bark looking bottom and lifelike branches and I wanted to cover it with all manner of crafty folk art ornaments and beads. This year Andi even gave me a huge bunch of ornaments that she wasn't going to use that would look perfect on such a tree.

My tree has been strictly Pooh, with the exception of a Nativity ornament for as long as I can remember. A few years ago I actually bought some of the ornaments I wanted, however, Bill got misty eyed when I mentioned changing the tree because he is the one who loves to buy the ornaments for me. So I said, "Just kidding." and took mine back to the store. Every year since I've known him, he has bought me Hallmark and Disney Pooh ornament and bunches of other random Poohs to boot.

These ornaments sing and dance and wind up and go automatically and when Sophie walks in the door and starts oohing and aahing, I forget all about wanting any kind of tree except the half shrub one I have. She turns on the music and starts dancing to the sounds of the Pooh theme song and I look at my tree with different eyes and a different heart. A grateful heart that I have a Pooh tree that brings so much joy.