independence

I'm here to tell you that putting on Christmas tree lights is ridiculously easy.

I'm feeling extremely independent lately due to a variety of things, most recently the getting of the Christmas tree, alone, for the first time ever without dad, boyfriend, or husband. I knew I needed a Christmas tree after the incredibly depressing state of my house last holiday season with no tree and no decorations. I never want to do that again. But I was feeling hesitant to borrow the truck or ask for someone to go with me for lots of reasons that I won't go into right now.

So I pulled out the decorations to make the house pretty and realized that over half of them were tree-based. I went shopping around last night for more garland and stuff, but just couldn't find what I wanted. What I wanted was a nice tree to give my house the Christmas look and smell.

So I went to Home Depot, asked if there was any way I could get a tree home in a car, and would you know you can just tie them right on top? Then I asked as nicely as I could whether someone there could help me if I bought some rope, and would you know they do it for free and even supply the rope?

I didn't care which tree, (sort of imagining a really pathetic one a la Charlie Brown that I could be so proud of for my independence that I would think it beautiful anyway) but the first tree that I randomly picked wound up absolutely perfect when unbound. I couldn't have chosen a better-looking tree if I had opened every one and then decided. So much for pathetic, I think it was just my lucky day. The high school kid probably thought I was stupid, but who cares. I was so excited about getting the tree and on my own that they let me skip to the front of the line for checkout and trunk cutting.

And do you know it was so easy to get that 8-ft tree off the roof of the car and into my house. I did it while talking on the phone. Lights, piece of cake. Immaculately spaced the first try with not even one hole once I plugged them in. Ornaments and angel topper, piece of cake. It was actually the most fun I've had decorating a tree since I was little. The only thing I had to ask for help with was steadying it in the tree stand until I screwed it tightly in and dealing with the horribly huge weird bug that crawled out of the tree and across the living room floor.

I feel like such a big girl right now. And I just can't shake this feeling that it's going to be an incredibly good new year.