Happy 2013

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I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year.
I decided to let you in on our little family tradition.  I come from a family of pyros.  When my mother-in-law heard of our New Year's tradition she told my father-in-law that I was my hubby's "the one"  ;)
So, what do we do?  Well... we blow-up our tree.

Christmas Tree Fireball

 Plus shoot off a few cannons and sparkler bombs.  Keep in mind that we have many acres to do this and also do the normal stuff too. We shoot off bottle rockets, cook hot dogs and make 'smores.   But the favourite part is the tree.
The planning for blowing up the tree begins weeks before Christmas.  We go to the tree farm and pick out our live tree.  It must always be live, fake trees don't work to well. ;)

Selecting our tree

By Christmas day we have stopped watering it.  This year I had the tree undecorated and de-lighted on the 26th. We had it outside shortly afterwards.  We want it really good and dry.
We bag up all our wrapping paper and gift packaging on Christmas day.  We save it until New Year's Eve.
This year we used around $100 worth of fire works.

Decorating is a Family project

A hole is dug for each tree and the tree is "planted."  A heavy duty metal screen is erected and staked down.
All the saved Christmas paper is shoved into the trees as close to the trunk as possible.  If you didn't know, when wrapping paper burns it gives off all kinds of interesting colors.

Even the toddlers get in on the decorating

After all of that we shove fire works into the tree.  Mostly bottle rockets and screamers.  We also use space ships, flowers, and mini roman candles. Cones, as we have discovered do not work. They get engulfed in the flames.

The brave behind the screen

Once the trees are "decorated" we take our places.   The slow-moving, pregnant and those with small children sit in a vehicle to watch behind glass.  The brave sit behind the screen.  The dumb *cough cough husband cough* stand behind the screen.
The designated starters hand those behind the screen large roman candles and light them.  The Roman candles are aimed at the tree.  In the eight years we have been doing this the trees have been lit this way three times, this year being the third.

Preparing the Roman Candles

If the candles don't take then the guys get creative.  We have used a long fuse, an electric starter and the oh-so-smart "run up to the tree and light some wrapping paper with a lighter and run" method.

Much safer for little ones behind a windshield

Once the flame catches the "brave" duck behind the metal screen, the "dumb" make sure they are recording.  I have actually had one bottle rocket hit the screen at my feet on the other side of the screen.  It is quite exciting.
Then the trees explode with fire, light, color and sound.  This lasts about 2 minutes, but no one can move for about 6 minutes until the fire burns down.  Stray fireworks can appear during these six minutes and you never know where or where they will be headed.
Here is this year's Video, shot by my very own husband.
 You even get to see him trip mid recording.

We usually go and inspect the now charred "Christmas Twig" and are ready to begin heading home.

So, what are your traditions?