25 Days: Pulling Over the Tree

We’ve had a lot of memorable Christmases over the years. From the great gifts to the horrible weather it’s hard not to make memories during the holidays. One that I don’t remember, but that is practically legendary in our family, is the year that my sister pulled over the Christmas tree.

It was 1989, and my sister Whitneigh was a year old and walking. We had the tree up and fully decorated with all the trendiest ornaments of the 80s. Our newest was a tiny pillow embroidered with a wreath and when you squeezed it a Christmas carol played. I was three and thought the musical pillow ornament was the neatest thing on the planet ("cool" wasn't cool yet). My parents purposefully hung it low on the tree so that I could push it myself and hear the song play.

I loved to play the ornament, and my baby sister loved to copy everything I did but being two years younger she wasn't always able to do the same things I could. So one day our Dad is laying on the living room floor under the Christmas tree watering it with a pitcher full of water. Little Whitneigh comes over to the tree to look at the new ornament, squeezes it, and walks away - without letting go of the tiny pillow. Off she goes, and down the tree comes with her. Right on top of poor Dad. He's trapped, she's crying, and undoubtedly Mom is hiding in the other room trying not to laugh.
  
 Unfortunately we lost some delicate ornaments, but we were able to save the pillow (and Dad). We put it back on the tree every year - for a while there it was up too high for us to reach - and laugh at the time a tiny ornament brought the whole Christmas tree crashing to the floor.