trials of a Christmas tree

it all started tuesday night. i had gone down to the basement to check on the water heater (it had blown up earlier and flooded parts of the basement. don't worry we got a new one. it heats the water very nicely). i noticed the tree leaning against the wall (i never take the tree apart. i keep lights and all on that bad boy and just stuff it under the stair well in the basement. it is so much more easier than pulling each limb off and taking all 8,000 lights off...ok..i am lazy). so i decided to walk the tree up my narrow stairs and put it up so we can start celebrating the birth of our Savior. cause we all know you can't start to worship until that tree is lit and stuffed with presents. as the tree was placed on the living room floor - i noticed it wasn't standing up straight. i pushed through the plastic pine needles and discovered one of the legs was broken. i figured i could fix it since i was a man. well.. the weight of the plastic was making it hard to fix.. so i came to the grim conclusion. i have to take all of the lights off and the tree apart to fix that stupid leg. i went to bed. i figured i would just ignore it for one more night.
the next day was a bad day. i woke up in this real raw mood and when i walked through the living room and saw that stupid tree.. i was even more annoyed. yet, i fought on and went to work and spent the day in court.. listening to people give excuses to why they do what they do..
after a long day of listening, i arrived at home and looked at that tree.. i became sick. i wanted to burn it, but yet i could feel the Christmas spirit come over me.
"think of all the presents that are going to be under that tree for you."
the voice was right. this was my year to rack up. angie got a raise. i got a raise. my mom and dad love me more than the rest of my family.. yep.. lets get the tree up..
so i started pulling lights off.. then i got the bright idea of just taking the limbs off and the lights will fall off.. WRONG! i spent nearly 2 hours getting those lights apart..
as i stood there with lights all around me and plastic needles sticking in my socks.. i decided to go to bed. i felt defeated. i fought the good fight and lost. sadly this has happened many times in different parts of life. i took a deep breath and laid down.. i slowly drifted to sleep.. i could see lights choking me and slowly dying while that tree took over my living room.
so.. last night i was prepared for battle. i jumped in with my duct tape to fix the leg and my desire to see that tree up. i fought and fought, but then i realized.. i wrote the order of the limbs wrong (each limb has a color. example green, brown, white, etc..). so i had to put them on and take them off. fluff them out and then see that they don't look right.. i sweat and curse.. i even cried when that broken light went through my thumb, but 3 hours later.. i got the tree up.
i sat there basking in the warm glow of that tree.. Christmas can start now..
"peace on earth, good will towards all men."