DIVA!

I looked through all of Lesha's boxes of Christmas decorations and decided that none of them would do for my first full size Christmas tree in my own house, so I went out shopping. I had images of a beautiful, international folk art tree a la Ten Thousand Villages or World Market, but didn't fall in love with anything I found. I went to Target to look at artificial trees and while wandering the aisles I happened upon an ornament that was simply the word 'diva' carved out of a block and then painted with hot pink glitter. In a second, I knew I had to own it. It was so over-the-top ridiculous that I called my step-mom for support.
"Chris, can I do a diva tree? Can I really buy hot pink and turquoise ornaments?"
"Honey, of course you can! It's your statement. I am not what I was, I am something new!"
"What's that- tacky?"
"No. You are still your classy self, just a little more lighthearted and embracing where you are. Go for it!"

And I did. I bought the diva ornament, turquoise sparkling deer, glittery snowflakes, and a star tree topper with more bling than both the Hilton sisters combined. I came home and was so excited I laid out all the new ornaments on the floor, so I could look at them until the big day for decorating came.

The next day, as I was driving home from work, Abbie called. "Where are you? I am at Target and I have decided that you need to come here because there is this shiny pink ornament that says 'diva' and I think you should do a Diva Tree."
I started squealing about the time she said pink and by the time she finished her sentence my vocal pitch could only be registered by dogs. "I just bought it yesterday! And that is what I am calling my tree! The Diva Tree!"
"Well, there you have it. It was meant to be."

On Thanksgiving, my step-mom gave me a turquoise and turquoise-sequined Diva Tee to wear while decorating my Diva Tree. Today was the big day for decorating (I couldn't wait any longer.) I enlisted my friend Vince to help me put up the tree. He helped me hang the lights and found a way to clip the tree topper to the tree when I might have given up since it threatened to topple the entire tree. I keep wandering into the living room just to admire my sparkling silly tree and I end up grinning like a crazy woman. I feel like a diva!