<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Alright fake Christmas tree; its time for you to get out.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">It's officially the end of the first weekend of January and that means all Christmas decorations must go.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Whether you want to be or not, this afternoon you'll be packed away next to the other junk in my grandmother's garage for another year.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">All except the jingle bells and holly berries from the front door.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Because someone already did that for us!! Seriously, right after Christmas. What a Scrooge! Who would steal a holiday decoration?!
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Look, I realize you may be sad but I refuse to turn us into one of those families who still has their Christmas tree up in March. No seriously. I've seen them. We won't talk about them now though. Especially since someone in my family once suffered from that syndrome not too long ago.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Instead I'll take down the decorations Natalie put up and put them in a box and remember the short holiday season we had with you.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">And the fond memories.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">It all started with a drive in the middle of December to my grandmother's house in a slushy ice storm to pick you up from her garage.
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<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.veepveep.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/010409-1732-ohchristmas1.jpg" alt="" /><span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">You sat in the living room unassembled for a few days. (<em>Neglect!!!!!)</em> Then Miss Nat's dad and I put you up before she got home from school. Walked her home from school and told her the great news.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt"><em>Surprise! Promised we wouldn't forget Christmas!</em> But instead she only cared about the snow/frozen ice on the ground. I promise she didn't care about that tree behind her on Park Ave. Promise.
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</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.veepveep.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/010409-1732-ohchristmas2.jpg" alt="" /><span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Of course, Nat wanted to do a little decorating of her own. She went with me to the pharmacy and picked up blue candy canes in honor of "Mommy's favorite color blue" and a bunch of silly red drugstore ribbons and then added her advent calendar and some quality decorations given to her since she was a baby. (Long gone are the days where Mama bought hundred dollar ornaments…)
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</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.veepveep.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/010409-1732-ohchristmas3.jpg" alt="" /><span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">When my mother stopped by on Christmas Eve, Natalie asked her to add a few last minute touches to you. And yes, my mother was probably thinking to herself… "What kinda crazy Christmas tree is this!?!?" But tree, we love you anyway.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">On Christmas Morning, Santa did a late delivery (not going there!) so a photo was snapped with presents underneath you before the kiddos saw them.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">We took photos (or tried to) on Christmas morning in front of you
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Harrison watched the Yule Log and kept you company –
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Christmas Day, we took photos next to you when a Santa hat wearing Nana came to visit and deliver gifts.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">(But I forgot to take a picture of Grandma Jenny next to you when she showed up because well my mouth hit the floor from shock. But that's another story.)
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Nat did Wii Bowling next to you. You were her witness when she whooped her dad's pathetic score!
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Over the holiday break, Natalie and Luke posed for pictures in front of you –
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</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.veepveep.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/010409-1732-ohchristmas10.jpg" alt="" /><span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">And on New Year's Day, Mister Harrison even climbed onto my grandmother's lap to take a photo next to you.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">(Doesn't Harrison look like the largest toddler ever on my grandmother's lap!!!)
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">So Christmas Tree, Mister Fake Spruce, we'll see you again next year. Same family, just different apartment. You were like family sharing this holiday's special moments with us. But like family who overstay their welcome during the holiday season.. it's time for you to go. 
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt">Until the adventures of next Christmas season.
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</p><p style="background: white"><span style="color:#444444; font-family:Georgia"><span style="font-size:10pt">—-</span><span style="font-size:9pt">
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</p><p style="background: white"><span style="font-family:Georgia"><span style="font-size:10pt"><strong>Car Song</strong> – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzWPBR30Nk">Come on Eileen</a> (cover) by Save Ferris "You in that dress my thoughts I confess verge on dirty"</span><span style="color:#444444; font-size:9pt">
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</p><p style="background: white"><span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt"><strong>Next stop – </strong>Kids are back to school in the morning and I'm off to do some in person interviews with a few authors and entrepreneurs.  Before I go, I'm getting to the bottom of the confusion between Dylan McDermott and Dermott Mulroney. Because seriously, Rice a Roni and Tenderoni have already caused enough confusion.
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<span style="font-family:Georgia; font-size:10pt"><strong>Drive Thru</strong> Interviews with Kristen Chase of <a href="http://www.veepveep.com/drive-thru-interviews/kristen-chase-motherhood-uncensored-drive-thru-interview/">Motherhood Uncensored</a> and Kelly Wickham of <a href="http://www.veepveep.com/drive-thru-interviews/kelly-wickham-mocha-momma-drive-thru-interview/">Mocha Momma</a></span></p>