Christmas Tree Delimma

When you have a very active, inquisitive and mischievous toddler in your home, holiday decorating can pose a bit of a dilemma. I absolutely could not stand the idea of not having a Christmas tree this year, but I also wasn't enjoying the idea of spending the next month on "tree patrol" in order to prevent Austin from destroying the tree or knocking it over onto himself (I greatly doubt that the fishing line that we used last year to hold the tree up would be up to the challenge of an older and wiser Austin ;-). So, as a compromise, we decided to put the tree up in the spare bedroom so that we can close the door when needed. It has worked well. This way, I don't have to worry when Austin is out of my sight, but still get to have a Christmas tree. It also gives me the chance to teach Austin that trees/ornaments are for the eyes and not for the hands. We went over to my parents' house this morning, and Austin did surprisingly well with their tree. He was a little obsessed with Papa's Crimson Tide ornament, but other than that pretty much left the tree alone. Now, the rest of Nonna's decorations are a whole other story. (Every year around this time, their house is transformed into a Christmas wonderland) That was definitely an adventure. ;-)