Then, the Christmas tree fell down
It was a rough week. Full of fun, no doubt, but sprinkled with roughness. I fell off my bike. Ouch. All stove up, with a hitch in my get-a-long.
The car went into the shop and the bill was twice what I thought it would be.
Lois Lane started biting her tail again and had to go back into the cone of shame.
Then, the Christmas tree fell down.
I have over 300 ornaments for my Christmas tree, not that I use all of them every year, or put them all on one tree, but I have a lot of ornaments. Each one must be turned exactly in the right direction, and hang on the exactly perfect branch. I can spend a week arranging each ornament in the perfect spot, and then tweak it every day until around 10:30pm on December 24th. The tree topper itself is always my main creative outlet for the year. Sometimes it consists of dried flowers I’ve collected from the past 12 months, other times it’s a Southern theme with dried cotton bolls and okra pods. The angel also takes a turn from year to year with the antique glass spire.
This is one of my favorite trees from several years ago. Pheasant feathers, dried okra pods and flowers were at the top that year. I didn’t even have a chance to take a photo of this year’s tree before the great fall.
I had just completed spraying palmetto fronds and magnolia leaves a beautiful shimmery silver and placing them on the top of the tree, and it was fabulous, if I say so myself.
Perfection.
Beauty.
And then, at exactly 10:41pm on Tuesday night, I looked up, and saw the 10foot tall tree slowly coming toward me. At first, I thought I would try to catch it, then I saw that the ceiling fan may be in it’s line of fire. Being all stove up from the bicycle wreck, all I could do was utter a very unladylike, and uncharacteristic, “OH CRAP!” My husband, shocked at my vulgarity, looked over at me in horror, and completely missed the incoming bombardment as the tree landed perfectly on top of the coffee table which sat in between the two of us.
Shocked, we stared at each other, until a sound unlike I’ve ever heard before came out of somewhere deep inside of me. More than a whimper, but less than a scream. I sat motionless, while Sweetie Pie jumped into action mopping up the flood of water and scooping up the broken glass.
“I’m sick! I’m sick!” I said over and over. Hubby kept moving and sweeping and mopping. He said, “I’ll take a picture because I know you’ll want to blog about this.” “NO!” I said, “I don’t ever want to think about this again! It’s unspeakable and I’ll never want to think about it!” (until today).
Thankfully, I never just “hang” the ornaments on the branches, but I wrap each hook around the branches for security. Therefore, very few ornaments actually fell off the tree, but the ones in the front of the tree smashed against the coffee table – and of course, I had hung the most precious and favorites in . . . the front.
Antique ornaments from my husband’s sweet Grandmother and her mother from Ireland – poof! Gone. Shards of glass. This pink one was safe.
I was greatly relieved and amazed to see this 9-11 ornament was okay.
All the lights were cattywompus and it all had to be completely redone. But guess what? It ended up looking better than before. Most of my favorites are survivors, so not all is lost.
Of course, my son’s favorite car survived, because it’s really plastic and cost $2 at Big Lots.
In 21 years, it had to happen sometime.
This one is indestructible, thank goodness.
And here’s the tree, reconstructed and redecorated ready to go. Not a great photo, but you can see the silver magnolia leaves at the top, and plenty of ornaments still . . . hanging in there!
And now, I’ll have a peaceful weekend. I’m quite sure of it.
Oh, I am so sorry that happened, but I’m glad that the majority of the ornaments survived. That happened to me twice in one season. My tree was an artificial one and getting old, and the stand just broke. I “duck taped” it back, thinking I had fixed it. It fell again–thankfully, it fell before I had put my ornaments on. Needless to say, that Christmas, we had no Christmas tree. 🙁 Your “new” tree is beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thanks so much, and I love your reliable approach of using duct tape! Clever girl!
Sorry, I found myself laughing, not about the tree falling or the broken ornaments, or the other events of the week, but because I have to hang the ornaments just so, and the favorites where I can see them, etc. Your reconstructed tree is lovely. Hoping that Lois Lane doesn’t have to wear the cone of shame too long. I’m following you on facebook now so that I have another source to keep up with your blog. It kinda fell off my blog roll and isn’t updating on my sidebar. Merry Christmas!
Ahhh . . . another tree perfectionist! I knew there were others out there somewhere! We could all meet for a support group, but we’re too busy “tweaking” the tree!
Thanks for being persistent about following along. For some reason, my blog stopped updating on blogger hosted sites. So weird! But, I appreciate your efforts.
Happy decorating!
Oh the horror, oh my gracious. I totally empathize, as each ornament becomes more dear as the years pass, and it is a lot of work to select that one special place for it on the tree. To see the tree falling would collapse me to my knees. All I can think to say is “bless your heart” and I mean that in the kindest way. So glad you can take comfort in the favorites that survived and I hope for you many more new favorites in the years to come.
Thank you. I have my eye on a few that belong to my Mother. But she likes to fluff her tree as much as I do. The ornament doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?
I would just be in shock and scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad all is well again. xo
I was closer to fainting and falling over on top of the tree!
Oh my goodness! That is a true horror to a tree decorating perfectionist, especially having so many treasured ornaments in peril. That said, I was laughing outloud at your husband, while mopping and sweeping he wanted to take pictures because “I know you’ll want to blog about this.” Too funny. He knows you well. lol I’m just happy the tree falling over wasn’t the dog’s fault. I’ve had cats bring mine down a couple of times.
The dog’s fault? Never. Husband? Well, there’s a back story there. . . not that I’m pointing fingers or anything!
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to you… Yikes, I might not leave the house! That happened once when we had been married about ten years. So luckily, only cheap ornaments that we could afford or make. We had all nestled down after decorating in the kitchen for dinner and slosh, crash. I have my current tree up and ready to put on all my now glass shiny and bright ornaments. I think I will give it one more shake first! Hope you are feeling better.
I’m on the mend with a pretty tree to look at. Finally!
First of all before I comment… you have to fill me in on what “all stove up” means. I have lived in TX for many years and have never heard the expression. As soon as you tell me what it means, I’m gonna use it all the time. I love your husband’s reaction… a true blogger husband. Your tree looks gorgeous. This will always be remembered as the year the tree fell down. Have a great weekend.
Oh dear, allow me to translate . . . “all stove up” is what you get when you try to move the chester drawers all by yourself. The next day, you can’t move for being so stiff and sore.
“I worked in the yard all day yesterday, pruning 14 camellia bushes,planting four rows of beans, and two rows of okra, and today I’m paying for it, ’cause I’m all stove up and can’t make it to the dance!”
Thank you for that translation. I kinda figured out what cattywompus meant, but “all stove up” was baffling to this (former) northerner. lol I hope you’re feeling better after that fall off the bike.
It’s not funny – I know, but I laughed. My tree has fallen a couple of times over the years. I started wiring it a curtain rod, then decided that was dicey. I have been known to put a screw-eye in a stud and wire it to that.
I got my white tree painted and “snowed” out on the back porch today — we will throw a few things on tomorrow. And then I will rearrange them till it comes down on Jan. 6! I thought everyone did this…
Hope you are on the mend and didn’t break anything in your bike mishap.
Nothing broken, just scraped and battered.
When you said you wired it to your curtain rod, I was thinking you had a story about the tree and the curtains coming down!
I’m so sorry…………..that I laughed………..but you told it so funny…..I could just see it landing between you and your husband and you screaming and him mopping……I’m so sorry (trying to make a serious face) I know the loss of ornaments was bad…..but……bahahahaha…I can’t get the picture out of my head of you, the tree and your hubby. You shouldn’t have told it so funny…:) I’m so (giggle) sorry…..
I don’t blame you one bit. After I wrote my column for the newspaper for a while, they entered me in the Press Association HUMOR category. I said, “I thought I was writing a lifestyle column.” They let me know really fast that what I consider everyday life, others clearly see as humor.
Glad I can be of service!
Oh nooooo!!! So much tragedy in this post. I hope you are doing ok (hitch in your giddyup and all.) But, what a shock to your soul. I’m glad many of your favorites survived and they you didn’t have a heart attack. Whew, what blessing on those notes.
“Shock to your soul.” I like that. It’s exactly what it was.
Leg still propped up, but I have a(nother) beautiful tree to sit and enjoy!
oh God! I am so sorry! when our kids were little, we bought a really cheap tree, that started loosing it’s needles and one night we literally heard the ornaments falling off! We had to get up and get the kids off to school so we could go get another and decorate it before they noticed, it was awful! We still shudder! I am so sorry you lost some treasures and your hubs gets the best husband ever award!! This year my tree looks like a hot mess because my 6 year old grandson did the lights~ you will not be seeing this on my blog!! 🙂
I’ve never heard of all the needles falling off to this extent! How terrible, but a great memory nonetheless!
Oh NOOOOOOO! My goodness Leslie Anne, I am so sorry for all your misfortunes this past week. Thank goodness you are not in any cast from your fall so that is good. This had to be just awful and I have to say I can not imagine anything not ladylike coming out of your sweet little mouth, but I’m sure everyone understands if it did, except maybe your husband! You were lucky you didn’t loose more ornaments but I relate, you just described how I decorate my and rearrange ornaments when my husband is not looking. My tree is over my shoulder, all nine feet. Now, I’m a little uncomfortable. What was it you said, “it’s bound to happen”……..
You take care and have a great meeting this week. I wish I could have come.
Oh no! I’m so sorry this happened! What made the tree fall? Sorry to hear you lost some precious ornies too. Glad the tree didn’t fall on you or your hubby. It looks very pretty now and I like your silvery leaves. Go take a long hot soak to get unstoved! 🙂
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 🙂
You have had a rough week! I’m so sorry! Losing precious ornaments is so sad. I’m impressed that you got right back up on that tree decorating horse and bring that tree back to its full gorgeousness!
Wishing you a much less eventful week!
Hey . . . anything for the tree!
[…] I told you about my Christmas tree falling over (HERE), I mentioned that I couldn’t move fast enough to catch it, on account of being all stove-up […]
Oh, bless your heart! I would have been devastated had I lost some of my prized ornaments, but that day may well come if I live long enough.
You did a great job the second time around.
Thanks, and let me be the example you learn from. Steady that tree!