For those who were anticipating a Scrap Wood Challenge today, as hinted at on Sunday and hosted by the talented Sawdust Girl, a slight change of plans occurred. The challenge has been postponed for a week, which means I’ve done a bit of calendar reshuffling on my end to stay on schedule. This particular post, originally slated for next week, found its slot opened up, allowing me to share some early holiday cheer with you. Consider this your official spoiler alert!
Embracing the Holiday Spirit: A New Christmas Tree Adventure
For the past couple of Christmases, my participation in festive decorating has been, shall we say, minimal. Last year, my old tree barely made it up before the holiday, only for me to discover that half of its lights had mysteriously given up the ghost. I made a mental note – a very optimistic one – to fix them by this year, a task that, predictably, never materialized. My heart had been set on a new tree, specifically an LED version with a remote control that would stretch closer to my ceiling than my trusty but now insufficient 6-foot model. Last Black Friday, the perfect tree eluded me, selling out in record time and leaving me utterly disappointed. This year, armed with determination and a pre-emptive savings plan, I knew it was now or never. I wasn’t going to miss out again.
So, I went for it. I splurged on the tree I’d been dreaming of. It’s the Martha Stewart Living 7.5′ LED white/multi tree from Home Depot, a truly impressive specimen. Now, does anyone know a good “tree fluffer”? (Yes, I’ve heard the snickers, the joke’s already been made!) While the photo might make it seem a bit sparse, that’s just the initial post-unboxing reality. It requires a considerable amount of time and effort to meticulously bend out each branch, coaxing it into its full, voluminous glory after being tightly compacted for shipping. The transformation from a compressed box of plastic and wire into a magnificent, welcoming beacon of holiday cheer is a labor of love, but one that always proves worthwhile.
I’m certainly no stranger to the Black Friday frenzy; camping out for a good deal is practically a family tradition. However, the thought of enduring another holiday season with a half-lit, scratchy tree that was a pain to deal with filled me with anxiety. I wanted to decorate NOW. With my savings at the ready, I decided to get my tree two full weeks early. It arrived right on my doorstep just as I was leaving for last weekend’s beach trip, adding an extra layer of excitement to my return home, eager to assemble my new holiday centerpiece.
Meet Uncle Knick-Knack: A Quirky Family Tradition
You might be wondering why I refer to my new Christmas tree as “him.” Well, for those unfamiliar with our wonderfully weird family lore, this is the new Uncle Knick-Knack. If you’re curious about the origin of this peculiar tradition, you can click here to read the full story. The amount of patience required for the extensive “fluffing” process of this grand tree is already testing my limits. Where are my mythical project elves when I need them most? A little help while I sleep would be much appreciated, pretty please!
Beyond the Sparkle: The Inevitable Cleaning Saga
Acquiring a larger Christmas tree wasn’t just about festive decor; it set off a chain reaction. A bigger tree meant rearranging the furniture layout in my living room, which, in turn, inevitably led to something I dread even more than the meticulous task of tree fluffing: cleaning. Specifically, confronting the seemingly endless tumbleweeds of dog hair and muddy paw prints that our beloved Charlie leaves in her playful wake. While I generally manage to keep the living room from becoming a complete disaster zone, there are always those hard-to-reach corners where dust bunnies morph into furry tumbleweeds, and under the couch, a secret society of pet hair gathers in mass quantities. It’s as if they operate on a clandestine schedule, knowing that the moment the lights come on, they’re all destined for the confines of my vacuum cleaner.
Perhaps that analogy was a bit dramatic, but it perfectly encapsulates my feelings about cleaning. As I’ve confessed many times on this blog, cleaning is a monumental chore that I procrastinate on for as long as humanly possible. My aversion to it is so well-known that I even made it a running joke in my site’s menu bar when the blog started over five years ago (if you’re curious, click on “Cleaning and Recipes” to see what I mean!). Despite my deep-seated dislike, I can’t escape the need for a basic, periodic clean. It often feels pointless, especially when I’m in the midst of creating drywall dust in the kitchen, but with Charlie around, it’s a non-negotiable task. She is, by far, the primary reason why I both have to clean and feel compelled to do it. It truly amazes me how little time needs to pass before the room is messy again, even though I hardly ever use it!
Adding to the challenge are my beautiful laminate floors. While I adore them for their durability and how well they’ve held up over the years, they have a singular knack for showcasing every single speck of dust, dirt, and flip-flop mark. And when it rains, and Charlie dashes through the room before I can even think about wiping her paws, the evidence is undeniable. Those floors, while practical and aesthetically pleasing, are unforgiving when it comes to capturing the story of daily life with a dog.
Our Secret Weapon Against Pet Mess: The Swiffer Routine
For instance, even after vacuuming up the substantial collection of debris from under the couch (a truly unpleasant discovery), stray hairs and unseen grime stubbornly remained, defying my primary cleaning tool. This necessitated turning to another reliable option to truly get the rest. This tool pleasantly performs a double duty: it picks up additional dirt that’s invisible to the naked eye and, crucially, snags every last remaining pet hair. I’ve been a long-time user of Swiffer products, and recently, they generously sent me a huge box of goodies as part of their #SwifferFanatics ambassador program. They even invited me to Cincinnati earlier this year to visit the P&G museum and headquarters. I highly recommend the museum for its fascinating display of old-timey products and packaging – a truly interesting glimpse into consumer history. Cincinnati itself? Not so much my cup of tea.
My typical cleaning sequence involves vacuuming first to tackle the larger debris and pet hair, followed by a dry sweeper for the finer dust and remaining strands, and then a wet sweeper if Charlie has tracked in mud or if the floors simply need a fresh shine. While this isn’t a deep clean with a steamer, it’s perfectly “good enough” for my needs, allowing me to move on to other important tasks – like arranging the branches on this enormous new tree! (Unless, by some holiday miracle, those project elves decide to show up and do it for me while I sleep.) After weeks of relentless rain leaving me feeling quite miserable, I simply couldn’t tolerate looking at Charlie’s muddy paw prints – or whatever unidentifiable filth she was depositing – on my floors any longer.
Is the house perfectly spotless? No, but since when was perfection the benchmark I set for this house? The ability to grab a tool, push a button, and achieve a significantly cleaner space than it would be otherwise? Absolutely, that works for me. Now, with the floors sparkling, it’s finally time to find the perfect tree skirt and truly begin the decorating process.
Cleaning with a Cause: Swiffer’s Welcome Home Campaign
Swiffer is one of those brands I genuinely enjoy collaborating with. Their products are backed by fascinating “science-y” stuff they love to share, and their promotional team has a fantastic sense of humor. More importantly, I’ve relied on their cleaning solutions to save me time ever since I had my first apartment, so participating in their programs essentially means my cleaning supplies closet gets perpetually stocked with the very products I’ve always used and trusted. Lately, they’ve been playfully teasing me with emails featuring pics and videos of their newest endorser, Scott Foley from Scandal. Of course, he seems to have joined the team almost exclusively to charmingly pose with adorable rescue dogs in front of their banners.*
*While he is indeed charming, that last part wasn’t entirely factually accurate. Scott Foley is a key part of Swiffer’s heartfelt “Welcome Home” campaign, an initiative dedicated to spreading the vital message that cleaning concerns should never be an obstacle to pet adoption. In a wonderful partnership with BarkBox, they are giving away 10,000 Welcome Home Kits at shelters nationwide. This mission resonates deeply with me, especially since our own beloved Charlie was a rescue herself. It’s a powerful reminder that with the right tools, maintaining a clean home with pets is entirely manageable, opening up more hearts and homes to animals in need.
Early Celebrations and Future Plans
I know, by some standards, it might be a tad early to be putting up the Christmas tree. However, for reasons I can’t quite articulate, this year it just felt absolutely necessary. The urge to infuse our home with that warm, festive glow came early, and I’ve embraced it wholeheartedly. Has anyone else unexpectedly started their holiday decorating a bit ahead of schedule this year? I’d love to hear if you’re feeling the same early holiday cheer!
As for the other tree — the older one that’s somewhat broken and missing half its lights? I’m determined to see if I can fix it. If I succeed, it’s destined for a new life in the kitchen, positioned perfectly next to the sliding glass door. One of the doors is permanently fixed, providing an ideal corner for it to be admired. After all, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time someone in our family has enjoyed the charm of having more than one Christmas tree!
As I mentioned earlier, with this post unexpectedly moving up in my publishing schedule, I’ll be sharing a few early hints next week about some more exciting projects I’m currently tackling. There’s always lots to do around here, and I can’t wait to share the journey with you!
This post was proudly sponsored by Swiffer as part of their #SwifferFanatics ambassador program. All words and opinions expressed herein, as I hope is abundantly clear, are 100% my own (seriously, I doubt they’d ever officially use the term “tree fluffer” in their corporate communications!).