Growing up in households who ALWAYS had real Christmas trees, Garrett and I never thought we would put up a fake tree. Let me tell you though, I am so happy with this one! We bought it from our friends who are moving back to the UK. This couple has been so lovely to us (we also bought their car!!) and they were happy to get rid of one more item. I just love it. It stands very tall and looks pretty darn close to real.

I have to say we put in a small effort in getting a real tree here. We bought one from a flower shop. It was the tallest, and the least ugliest of the bunch. Sure, it leaned slightly to the left, and it barely had enough branches to fill out the trunk. None the less, it was going to be our first real Christmas tree and I was determined to make it work. I strung the lights (twice, because the first set blew out), hung the ornaments (after breaking several), played Christmas music in the background and had a jolly good time of it all.

As I admired our finished “art” from a distance, I tried so hard to believe that it looked festive and beautiful rather than sad and near death. The trees come potted here, and well, I’m just not very good with things in pots. I don’t know. It may have died? I wasn’t aware Christmas trees had that short of a shelf life. One day, a few days after putting up our tree, we got home from running errands in the city and our tree was nearly toppling over. I immediately envisioned a loud crash in the middle of the night, and scattered broken ornaments all over our hard wood floor. I’m not prepared for more broken ornaments this holiday season.

Alas, we undressed our Belgian tree. She’s now sitting outside on our terrace, propped against a corner, strung with dull lights that we barely turn on. Every single morning since, we have woken to find her horizontal, fallen over again. Sigh… When is it safe to leave your tree out on the curb for pick up?

So, that’s my Christmas tale thus far. Other than that, we’ve been busy with holiday parties, Christmas shopping, and planning the next week for when my family is here. The city is just so charming right now, the holiday decor almost makes up for the non existence of sun that is typical Belgian winter. The Christmas markets are in full force, and the Christmas beers are ready for sampling (by someone other than Garrett and I). And, I just don’t think it will really feel like the holidays until we have a full house…

Five more days until my brother and his girlfriend arrive, eight more days until Christmas morning and my parents’ arrival. I can hardly wait!