O Tannenbaum

The fake tree arrived today. I have yet to de-box it, so there's a huge cardboard box sitting in the living room, and it holds the parts to a fake Christmas tree.

I keep thinking that if I repeat the phrase enough times, I'll get used to it. I bought a Fake Tree. I am one of the Fake Tree People now.

Apparently, there are folks who grew up in households that had fake trees from day one. These folks don't have any problem with plastic pines, in fact, they speak of them with similar affection to mine for real Christmas trees.

It was always a big deal. Dad and I would go out and pick out the tree, and we always got a really big one, because our eyes were generally bigger than the living room and we would get lured in by the majesty of a fir or spruce glittering in the crisp December air. I think the first one fell down when I was about 11. Eventually we rigged the that one to a wall with cello strings.

So this year, I am still weak. There are two weeks plus some days until the actual holiday. I compromised on the tree, because I know I can't wrangle a real one into the house and up. I got the top-of-the-line model, prestrung with lights and featuring pine cones to make it look real. I guess I'll try to find something that smells like an evergreen to make up for the beautiful scent that plastic doesn't have. Candles? Air freshener? Potpourri?

Maybe it won't be so bad... but I still don't know. I guess the next step is opening the box.

before - after