I know, I know.  Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet so I shouldn’t be talking about Christmas, but I’m trying to be more organized this year so Christmas has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

For the last 4 years, The Husband and I have spent one night in December hunting down the perfect tree.  One that is tall, but not too tall.  Full, but not too full.  Green, aromatic, and inexpensive.  I am a Christmas tree purist and insist on getting a real one every year (although I also insist on busting out every curse word in the book when I’m stuck vacuuming up pine needles and scraping sap off furniture).

This year, though, I don’t think we’re going to be able to get a tree.  With Mac the Destroyer on the rampage at all times, I don’t see how it’s going to be possible for us to have any tree at all — especially not one that has stabby needles and fragile decorations.

I am SUPER bummed about this.  It is tough for me to get in the Christmas spirit (we have a super hectic holiday schedule that stresses me out every. single. year. and I can’t seem to learn to simply go with the flow) but the tree full of lights and decorations always does the job.  I’m racking my brain to come up with ways we can barricade the tree and keep Mac’s destructive curious fingers from tearing the whole tree down, but I’m drawing blanks. 

So tell me — those of you who have/had young children — how do you put up a Christmas tree and keep both tree and toddler safe?