Un-Decking the Tree

Un-Decking the Tree

Each year we put a Christmas tree and at the end of the season we take it down. Yesterday my son and I decided to take down the tree. Since it was garbage day everyone was putting their tree on their lawns. So even though the garbage men weren’t that far away we decided to see if we could take the tree down before they got here.

He and I weren’t feeling up to par but, we decided that we were going to get tree on the lawn before the garbage men came.

So I emptied the laundry basket and I put it by the tree. Normally I bring all the Christmas boxes down from the attic and take the tree down in an organized manner. But, this wasn't going to be organized. Since the garbage men were about an hour away we started taking ornaments off the tree, flinging them in the laundry basket, and candy canes lying on the floor, pine needles scattered everywhere. Then came to the beaded garland and the lights. During this un-decking, my son and I were laughing and saying lots of sap, lots of sap. My son saying good-bye Griswald family Christmas Tree.

First my son was trying to pull all the beaded garlands off the tree. It didn’t go to well as the beaded garland was getting tangled with each other and the remaining ornaments on the tree.

Then it was my turn, taking off the lights. Now normally I unwrap the first strand of lights from the top of the tree but, my son had the entire beaded garland tangled up with the lights. We were still trying to take the tree down in a somewhat organized manner. We started to hear the sound of the garbage truck so there was no more organization. I tried pulling all the Christmas lights down from the top of the tree with the beaded garland to the bottom of the tree. My son was helping to do this. I have to admit this wasn’t a good idea.

I remembered that I had a wrapped the lights around the branches. Instead of the lights just coming off the tree they were getting tangled in the branches and the garland. I must of apologized to the poor tree at least 20 times. Realizing that I couldn't just take the lights down I had to unwrap each one from the branches. This took some added time. By now we have a large pile of pine needles under the tree, at our feet and all over the dining room floor. (Glad for the Shop Vac we call R2).

We finally got the tree un-decked and we were ready to take it out the door. But, before we can do that we need to get it out of the dining room. Which again was a chore for the bottom of the tree base was still filled with water. Very full of water. So I tell my son to just pick it up and carry it outside.He says what are you crazy it is too tall. He is laughing at me about doing that cause it is full of water and it won’t fit out of the dining room with the base on it was too tall. So he picks it up tips it sideways and somehow he managed to keep most of the water in the base. Then he starts to take it out the door. I am standing on one end trying to push the tree out the door. Garbage men just a few streets away and we get it on the porch. One huge mess but it is on the porch. We are standing outside still laughing so hard at the mess and the situation we had created and we couldn’t get the base off the tree. My dear husband tightened it like it was going to uproot itself and walk away I guess. So we got the vice grips..people are driving by watching us and laughing themselves because we can’t get the darn base off the tree and we looked so funny trying to. First pulling and prying, then the vice grips, then my son picked the tree up and kept shaking it until the tree fell out of the base or vice versa.

He gets the tree on the lawn which it then blows into the street so he has to go back out and put it back on the lawn. We decided we may have some time to get the mess cleaned up before the garbage men came. So here we go again. Got the shop-vac aka big R2 (yes as in R2-D2 from Star Wars) and starting sweeping and cleaning. We weren’t getting enough picked up with the broom so my son goes outside and gets the outdoor broom, he comes in like he is yielding a magick weapon or power tool and he gets to work sweeping. We get the dining room done in minutes (that is what happens when you sweep everything into the living room). Then just as we were scooping up the last of the needles with the dust pans the garbage men are 2 houses away. We move into fast motion and get the rest cleaned up and the bag out the door. Then my son goes Mom what about the front porch…I said Spring…I am tired.