Something's missing from this picture. Can you guess what it is?
The last time you saw a picture of my house from this angle, it had a Christmas tree lying on its side.
And now? Now it's gone. Gone because my daughter knocked it over… again. And I had to stick to my threat of putting it away if she did it again.
My daughter, who was so excited when we pulled it out, that she could not contain herself.
My daughter, who shook so hard with said excitement that she accidentally broke and ornament or two in her rush to get them on the tree.
My daughter, who insisted for days that I take pictures of her in front of the tree.
My daughter, who hugged that stupid tree day after day.
My daughter, who turned on its light every time she walked into the room.
That daughter, was watching TV peacefully and then got up and knocked the tree over. With only just a small yell and then she covered her ears. I think… I was in the adjacent room, I most heard this happen and infer the rest from many, many previous experiences.
I asked her, in as calm of voice as I could muster, "What did mommy tell you would happen if you knocked over the tree again?"
"Put it away."
"And that's what we're going to do." I said, expecting weeping and gnashing of teeth and probably an ornament or two being whipped at my head.
Instead? Instead she happily helped me take all the ornaments off the tree and watched me carry everything downstairs… bringing down the couple things that I dropped along the way.
No crying. No hitting. No yelling. No arguing.
Just, "Good-bye Christmas tree. Good-bye. See you next year." In her sing song, happy voice.
When I asked her if she was happy or sad that this was happening, she told me she was sad. But this is not her normal sad behaviour. Not even a little bit.
And this is when Smith-Magenis Syndrome has me completely puzzled. I don't understand one thing about this. I don't understand what she was thinking when she knocked it over and I don't understand why she wasn't upset when I put it away.
And when I ask her about it she tells me she doesn't want to talk about it.
A Christmas mystery I guess. One for the ages.
oh darling!!! you will feel it more than she will! tilly was the same....our tree used to end up stripped of ornaments to whatever height she was...the top ridiculously laden with sparkle as things got moved up! I cried one year and said, 'i cant even have a christmas tree' it seemed so hopeless. then i remembered something i saw on our honeymoon in Morocco, a scarificial watermelon (stay with me!!) the stall holders had sliced a watermelon open and put it in the middle of a square and it was swarmings with wasps and insects, keeping the stalls wasp free...it was a sacrificial watermelon! We decided to do the same with christmas and brought a second smaller tree...the sacrificial tree. Now we get both trees out every year, the family tree cannot be touched but the sacrificial tree belongs to the kids, they can touch hug redecorate do what they like with it.....make decs themselves for it! Its a fabulous and amazing mess ad since it went up tilly has never touched the big tree again! love you honey....felt trees are also good and designed for redecoration over and over and over. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteThankfully, that was the sacrificial tree. We still have a tree in another room… hopping we can keep that one upright. xxx
Deleteooo thank goodness for that! i was heartbroken for you...thought you were treeless! xxx
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