It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

1 December is the first day of summer here in New Zealand.  Not that it felt very Summery that particular day, or the next.

I've just had a text from the wee Girl who is currently out with her father.  She wants to know when we are putting up the tree.  The annual question that causes me no end of angst.

I have two dogs, two rather large dogs, two rather large dogs with big swishy tails in fact.  The large swishy tails have a habit of wagging against the tree causing branches to sway wildly and baubles to shoot off in all directions.  I also have a cat, an elderly but spritely cat who takes an almost kittenish joy in batting baubles from the tree to the floor then chasing them all over the house.

Then there is the whole balance thing.  I like a well decorated tree as much as the next person.  I like a balance of color, bauble, tinsel and lights. My children like to decorate the tree, they lack the appreciation I have for balance.  By the time they sit back with big smiles of joy, the tree tends to look like a decoration factory threw up on it.  I smile and tell them what a wonderful job they've done.  When they go to bed, I rearrange the tree :( I can't help myself.  On the plus side, they never seem to notice and always take credit for the tree.