The Hintze Family: Oh Christmas Tree

Last weekend we decided to get our Christmas tree. For us that means we walked up the block to the corner Christmas tree lot, picked one out, paid for it, and then Marc carried it home. Before moving here thinking about getting a Christmas tree and carrying it home seemed like such a strange concept. Now after doing it twice and realizing how convenient it is I can't imagine the difficulty in having to drive to a tree lot tie a tree to your car and get it home. I guess Marc's always carried it though, so maybe he'd feel differently. Getting a Christmas tree in the city though and then carrying it home is a really fun new family tradition for us.

Standing in line to buy the tree.

One of our girls was a little more excited about it than the other.

Carrying the tree home.

Then the real fun of decorating began. This year I even let the girls put all the ornaments on. Usually I get a little particular about what goes where, but this year it was all them.

I advised a little on spreading them out, but for the most part this was all them.

The girls decided it needed a little more pizazz and added some dress ups. I think there's a crown, a purse, a wand and a necklace now to give the tree that extra pop. ;)

The next day, Sunday, church was cancelled. Our ward went to help with hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the Rockaways. Marc went while I stayed home with the girls and watched another little boy in the ward. That evening after he came back we went to the Park Avenue Christmas tree lighting. We did this last year, and it's one of my favorite things. The program is put together by a Christian church on 92nd Street and park avenue, and you meet out in the front of the church. They close down park avenue for a few blocks, and you come together with all these people and sing Christmas songs. Then they light all the trees on Park Avenue. I really love it.