"Tree Farm"

When my brother and I were little I remember our mom taking us to a tree farm and there was a little shop with ornaments.  We each got to pick one out.  I choose an angel, my brother picked a reindeer.  We have the angel hanging on our tree and when we hung it up this year I told Elizabeth about how I got it.  She loved this story and now asks to play "Tree Farm" several times a day.  Playing "Tree Farm" requires a few things.  First, be prepared for all the ornaments to be rearranged on the tree.  Second, all fragile and precious ornaments must be hung out of her reach.  Third, come prepared to haggle over the prices! 

Our pretend game usually goes something like this.  Elizabeth and I take turn playing customer and shop owner.  You come in describing what you are looking are for and then the owner will hope you find it.  Then the customer asks "how much?"  The first time she tried to charge me $40!  I know that she doesn't really understand the value of a dollar, but it is fun to tease her.

Last night we were playing and I had shopped for an ornament.  It was a ceramic stocking that my mom had decorated a few years for book club.  Elizabeth told me it would be $5.  I told her I only had $2, would she take $2? She said, "No, $5, go to the bank and get more money!" We are trying to teach her that not everyone is as fortunate and that some people don't have money, so I saw this as a learning/teaching opportunity.  "I don't have any money in the bank.  This is the only thing my kids want for Christmas, could you find it in your heart to let me have the ornament for just $2?" She refused and it got to be comical so I took our show into the family room so daddy could hear all of this.  We reviewed the situation for him and he says, "Maybe she could pay $2.50."  I exclaim, "I am not negotiating, I only have $2 and it is the only thing I want for Christmas!"  During the midst of this the ornament gets dropped and breaks.  Now luckily it had a label on the back so it stayed together, but there was still a big crack in it.  Now the waterworks start, "mommy I am so so sorry, I didn't know that was going to happen, that scared me, I'm so sorry, it's the only thing you wanted and I broke it, I am so sorry, Ima made that and she is going to be sad, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry!" Of course, we did not care and my mom was certainly not going to be mad.  I felt bad that she was so upset.  We got glue and put it back together.  I tucked her in to bed that night and thought she was asleep.  I went downstairs and Brandon called for me, "Elizabeth has something to tell you."  She was apologizing again and her bottom lip was trembling.  Poor thing!  I hugged her tight and told her that we would be able to hang it up again in the morning and it was no big deal. We did decide that prehaps "Tree Farm" should only be played where there is carpet -  in case of drop, there would be a soft landing!

The only problem with this game is that she thinks she can play it anyone's house.  Not all Christmas trees are decorated appropriately for this game!  Then of course Grant likes to get in on the fun, which consists of him just pulling ornaments off the tree and giving you money (which looks a lot like a hand shake!).  He is especially fond of a sparkly one with a tassel at my parent's house.