Evicting the tree...

I think we were some of the last people to actually put up the Christmas tree for the Christmas that just past... and so, it is only fitting that we are some of the last to actually finally evict the Christmas tree from the house in the New Year. Every year, it is a familiar story.... the kids don't want to undress the tree and get rid of the green invader... and the parents are wanting to get the needle dropping monster out of the house before we drown in a sea of sharp green spikes!

So, today... both kids were at school... and we gave the green guy a half hour notice of eviction. Undress, pack up and leave immediately!... or we call the cops....

Let's just say that the scene afterwards was not a pretty sight... the tree wouldn't go willingly... so, we had to forcibly undress it... and drag it kicking and screaming, bleeding pine needles all the way to the front door where we finally dumped him in the council pick-up station with the rest of the neighbourhood's unwelcome guests that had outstayed their welcome!

Unfortunately, as a final act of bastardry on the way out... there were needles shed everywhere... all through our clothes, in our socks, all over the floor and even in a harpsichord! This particular visitor will not be welcome back in the future, I'm definitely giving them a 1-star review on AirBnB... I will be looking for a tree guest with better and more reliable reviews for the next December!

Let's just say that I'm glad to be alive in a time and place with vacuum cleaners and reliable electricty....

Meanwhile, our other family tradition (inherited from my wife's family...) of starting a puzzle in the days after Christmas is not going quite so well... after some very high initial interest, the dedication has waned a little bit... partly due to the fact that our youngest girl is now in a stage of "knipping" (cutting...) everything she sees with scissors. This could be scrap paper, her sister's latest artwork, my music scores... anything that she can get her hands on.

I've started to train her to "knip" into an old Amazon box so that it isn't quite so disasterous to the decor and atmosphere of the house (and the mental well-being of my wife...)... but this isn't always quite successful... anyway, the task of separating out the valuable "knips" (youngest daughter...) from the equally valuable puzzle pieces (oldest daughter...) lies ahead... If I lose one or the other, it will be tears until it is found... the puzzles I understand... but seriously, all the "knips" look the same to my untrained eye....