![Christmas cactus flowering crop November 2019.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTBT1rukDcwVnePhAdEjwLYd8k1EGAHLdxBBSNTY3v1bV/Christmas%20cactus%20flowering%20crop%20November%202019.jpg)
*Christmas cactus covered with buds, as it often is all year round*

I’ve never done shopping on Black Friday. That day is reserved for putting up my Christmas trees. This year, there won’t be a tree inside, due to a bed in the living room. 

It wasn’t quite as cold as I expected Friday morning at 5AM, as I welded my way up to the barn to do the last window. It took forever, probably because the heater was struggling to keep the temperature in the safe range for wood staining. So I finally made it back to the house 2½ hours later. I got my morning chores done.

I had checked all the outside lights on Wednesday afternoon, and bought new lights for outside to replace the chancy ones I’d been using and struggling with for years. I even checked those new ones! But what I forgot was to get the top of the tree out of the Tonka garage and put the 1st 2 strings on it inside where I could sit down.

![Snow - outside tree crop Dec. 2016.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbnJm1Xtry2Pp8dchspA5ZjCvbrpE1zSqMCu2YyXqwRQA/Snow%20-%20outside%20tree%20crop%20Dec.%202016.jpg)

In past years, the tree had to be right in this place, due to all the other trees. The 2 spruces had gotten too big to get lights on anymore. So I used this old inside tree for a lighted tree outside. But now the trees were gone and we could put it anywhere. Except there was only 1 place it could easily be seen from an easy chair or from my office, due to the bed: the very southeast corner of the drainfield.

So when my helper friend arrived, we got the tree out, picked the mouse nest out of it, watched a cascade of chewed off fake needles come out of another bag, and got it set up. Then we took the top and went inside and sat down to put the strings on.

![Outside tree in dark crop November 2019.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTMUyQkLnExmembKVDCdQPDchQwZ7foW7MPgyzQgQxnv7/Outside%20tree%20in%20dark%20crop%20November%202019.jpg)

Due to the top, we didn’t finish getting the lights on before he had to go. So I finished the rest by myself. It was cold, and windy, on that exposed corner. I had to kneel on the ground to get the lower strings on and my knees were soaked where a tiny layer of soil had melted in the sun.

I was delighted they all lit, a change from past years, when I’d finished. The tree is guyed on 3 sides due to the wind. I’d bought an extra extension cord, just in case the old one didn’t reach from this far place. Good thing too, as it was just right to make it to the house.

I got 21 strings on this tree, by using 2, then 3 tiers of strings per layer of branches. Total lights: 3350. It needs adjusting when it is dark, but that will have to wait until the storm is over next week.

All the standing to do the window and the tree, not to mention the wind, completely wiped me out.

Saturday I plan to put candles in the windows and get my decorations out. No extra standing to do an inside tree this year.

The rule in the house is no Christmas music or movies or decorations until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Then it all gets put away New Year’s Day. So my favorite time of year has begun!