The last time we were in America for Christmas was 2005 when Dawson was just 9 months old. I have fond memories of picking out our tree and decorating it as a child so pulling out our artificial tree in Mali, shaking off the dust, and putting it up is just not the same. Especially since it usually is just me putting it up and decorating as the boys get bored. I don't like decorating in Mali and often wish I could just bypass the decor altogether. But since we were home this year, the boys got to experience how getting a tree and decorating it is really supposed to happen.
My family has been going to get their tree from the same gas station for as long as I can remember. They are "Charlie Brown" trees; you have to find the beauty in each one. They are not all symmetric and perfect. So you have to take time and look for just the right one with the right price.
Our selection
Then begins the next process: making snow for the tree. As a child we used Ivory detergent, now it has to be from the Ivory bar soap. You put the soap in the microwave, watch it grow (you can see it in there if you look hard), then take it out and let it cool.
After it is all in little flakes, you add water and beat it. Then you have snow to decorate the tree with. I was really surprised how much the boys got into it. I really didn't think they would last long, given how they are when we decorate our tree in Mali, but they loved it. (Please bear with all the pictures. There are a lot, but this probably won't happen again for many more years)
They even started making snowmen and snow balls which are now strategically placed in the tree.
The finished product with a very happy grandma. This is something she did as a kid with her grandparents and parents, then she did with us as kids, so it was quite special to do it with her grandsons as well.
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