'tis the season!

i would characterize ryan and i both as optimistic for the most part.

and i'd say that this year, we were a possibly a bit too optimistic when it came to a tree selection. but, for a mere $29, it seemed too good to pass up!

who wouldn't want a tree looms feet over your head. what's that you say? our ceilings are only 8 feet tall? well, i am sure we can make this work!

let me just say, that after bringing the tree in, we both saw the error in our ways...

a mere foot or so had to be cut off the top, leaving our tree with a figure that much more closely resembles a tube than a cone.

and about another foot had to be cut off the bottom, which resulted in a tree that doesn't want to stand up quite straight. but, that's ok, right?

of course it is until you find yourself mid-dinner with a tree that is all adorned and lit up and now lying face down on your living room floor! oh the joy!

so, after that, we decided it was time to get serious. we removed our fully decorated tree from it's stand, and i went to work on the trunk with a saw while ryan precariously balanced it on the stand.

the result?... one of our uglier trees that is now being weighted down on all sides with hand weights in hopes that we don't have a repeat tree on the carpet scenario.

but, you know what? we love it. and lily REALLY.LOVES.IT. so so much. she thought the decorating process was the best thing ever.

so, in the end, it was worth every penny of those 29 dollars. even if it is ugly.