Brian: "I think we should put the tree up."

Rachel: "It's not even Thanksgiving yet."

Brian: "But Melanie is coming to visit! She needs to see our tree!"

Rachel: "Ok, fine." (Brian has been asking to have the tree up since we bought it last week... I knew he would just keep asking every day until I finally gave in!)

Brian smiles deliriously as he rips open the box and begins to assemble our first "real" tree.

For our first Christmas last year our tree was a mere four feet tall. This year we decided to get a seven footer for Madeline's first Christmas. As I type this, Brian is playing Alabama's christmas album and getting ready to heat up some hot cocoa.