our little green CHRISTMAS tree

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The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hills

Finals are over (yay!), #dahub's off from work for a week (hurrah!), Christmas music is filling the room (yes!) We just need a tree! But I wasn't going to buy a tree. I was determined to be "green" altho' I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to pull it off, and if the kids will like it. I had something else in mind but that didn't work out. So bummed. So I had to think fast. For some reason, I only get ideas in the spur of the moment. It drives me crazy. It drives other people crazi--er!

I've been in the process of purging, storing, giving away, etc. It's a long process...especially for a pack rat who thinks she can upcycle everything. Well, books are all over the place...the hallway, the living room, the bedroom, even the restroom. Aiya! 

A solution came to mind (I've seen it before but keep forgetting.) A Christmas tree made out of books. That's it. Why not? Still not sure if it'll work.

First I stacked them by size. We have this old 3-inch dictionary and a 2-inch concordance. They are actually very good but nobody uses them anymore. Thanks to technology! So why am I still holding on to these? For this very purpose! Stack them books up to desired height but not too high. Wrapping the lights around it sort of helps stabilized it.
Oh look, I spy a Surfing book =.) A lot of these books are illustration and photo books.
We kept wrapping the lights around it, found the old star the kids made many years ago made out of cereal box with assorted strings painted with gold. Placed it in a photo holder stand. So far so good. Here's Mary & Joseph & baby Jesus right on top of the tree.
 Found our favorite ornaments!
 Did more wrapping around the tree with whatever we can find in our Christmas bins of ornaments & garlands.
 TaDa! Done in less than an hour! You can't tell from afar that it's a stack of books, can you?
We didn't spend a cent! And it looks great. Even I'm so proud of this improntu tree. And the kids actually like it. Just perfect for our cozy living room.

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 Later than evening...

tomato: Mom, I can't find my Civil War book. Did you put away things in our room? (This is before she saw the tree--she was busy herself working on a Christmas project in her room.) 
me: (thinking what is she doing with a Civil War book---later she said it's a surprise. hmmm.)
tomato: (after seeing the green tree, she was a little worried) I hope you didn't it put in there! 
(no, it wasn't in there =.)

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 son: this is our Tree of Knowledge.
(LOL!)

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 Merry Christmas, everyone!
Let's make it more meaningful and purposeful.

 Check out this CLIP.
This is how Christmas should be $pent.

 But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman...into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." ~Galatians 4:4,6

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