Wacky Wednesday #75—Christmas Tree Hat

Surprise! I’m back with another blog post, even though last week I threatened to take a two week break from blogging. But you see, I came across some battery-operated lights at home, and they demanded to be worn and before I knew it, I was repurposing a Wacky Wednesday hat from a few months back…into a Christmas tree!

Last week I felt ready to take a break from costumes for a couple of weeks. I had zero intention of making something to wear today. But yesterday I had an unsettling realization. I noticed that I’d posted blogs 49 times in 2016, and somehow this did not sit well with me. That number felt anticlimactic. Unfinished. 50 sounded like a complete set, so I decided I could squeeze out one more post this calendar year. Yep, I know that’s a strange reason for posting, but hey, I’m being honest, and my strangeness is just one of the reasons you love me!

It took only fifteen minutes to turn this hat into its current incarnation. Usually I glue my costumes and hats but this one is intended to be temporary and under those circumstances, duct tape is an excellent solution: fast and strong, but temporary. I felt victorious. With only fifteen minutes I’d created a tall, festive hat, and since all supplies used were already on hand, this cost $0 to create. I did a Christmas happy dance.

And then the photo session began. That’s when the trouble started. Apparently it’s an airtight law of the universe that when your costume only takes 15 minutes to make, capturing it in a photo takes a zillion hours. Sigh. The first photos weren’t bad, but I felt like they didn’t capture how bright the lights were. So I took some photos in a darkened room. All were annoyingly blurry. I attempted to persuade one of my kids to take my photo. Major resistance. Then I decided that I didn’t like the way the lights were spaced on the tree so I took it apart and started again. I made the room darker to showcase the lights. More blurry photos. I set up the camera in a new spot and promptly tripped over a big crate I’d forgotten I’d left on the floor. “SON OF A REINDEER!” I shrieked with frustration. Next came photos with the tip of the tree cut off. Photos with the right side of the tree missing. I glared at my camera and through clenched teeth growled, “You piece of candy cane!” Finally I had a few photos I could use, but at what cost? I was exhausted, as though I’d given birth to a six-foot tall Santa, complete with beard and hat.

Yet the show must go on. And now that I’m sitting down again, downloading photos, I feel fine. Here are a few photos that (kind of) capture the magic of my Christmas Tree Hat. 

 

Hey—anybody have a sleigh and reindeer I can borrow?