Remembering Tree Day

Since my niece and three nephews were very small we have held Tree Day at the beginning of December each year.  On this day I gift the children with their first Christmas present - a new decoration for the tree, then we decorate. As I had hoped it is something that the children have come to love dearly and to look forward to. Even though the two oldest are in their teens they still LOVE it.

I began Tree Day when there were only two little cousins who decorated the tree only as high as they could reach and we pretty much left it like that.  Each year the tree has been decorated higher and higher.

There are four cousins now and two tower over me they've grown so much and I'm happy to say that the tree is decorated right to the top these days. Our red head gets his license this year and is such a beautiful calm soul.  Miss R turns 15 this year and is such a sweet heart.  Both she and her brother are on the Autism Spectrum as well as having other difficulties so both are in the special education unit at school. Her brother starts at high school with her this year but only for an hour a day at first as they ease him into the new environment. My wonderful sister is homeschooling him for the other hours.  The two littlies, not even present at our first tree day both go to high school this year and are the funniest pair as well as being the best of friends which is lovely. Their fathers, my brother and brother-in-law have been best friends since childhood too.

Because of her hypersensitivity getting Miss R to wash her hair is a monumental issue.  I managed to take her with me to the hairdressers under the guise of special girl time and she had her hair washed, cut and dried. I'm sure Susan could have wept with relief and R so loved the whole experience.  I can't believe how grown up she is.  She is the little blondie in the first picture of Tree Day.

Of course Sophie was in the thick of things and once the children were finished she collapsed exhausted on the ground and snored soundly. Sweet darling girl. It's what she does most of the time these days.