Christmas - grace grits and gardening

I swore I would NEVER be one of those people with a fake, pre-lit Christmas tree. Part of the holiday fun is selecting a tree, tying it to the roof of the car, driving it home and dragging it in the house.

When we were kids, Momma always made us wait until the next day to bring it in the house. The boughs had to fall—her excuse. Really she was exhausted from our trip to Keiser Supply to pick out the tree. She needed a night to recuperate before the official decorating event.

My sister and I were so excited we watched the tree through the window all night as we counted down the days til Christmas.

For whatever reason, about seven years ago, John and I bought a permanent tree. It looks amazingly real, even borderline dry often shedding needles. And it was EXPENSIVE—in two more years we may break even.

The Tree lives 11 months out of the year in the garage attic, stored in two giant red canvas body bags. Each year shortly after Thanksgiving, John climbs into the black attic hole to retrieve The Tree via the pull down ladder purchased on sale and installed by our builder-friend. My job is to ‘spot’ him, a skill learned in cheerleading days. As if I could catch him should he fall…

Buying a rickety pull down ladder ‘on sale’ may not really be that great of a bargain. Plus it has a weight limit near that of John’s, especially after Turkey Day…

The good thing about the fake tree—the moment Thanksgiving dishes are cleared away, we can drag it down and decorate it. No shopping in the rain or wind or heat. No waiting. Immediate gratification. The new American way.

The bad thing about it—its fakeness. I love the smell of Christmas. I spray the fake tree with essence of evergreen, and for five minutes it almost smells real. I reinforce the aroma with fresh garland arranged around the mantle.

My kids (now grown) hate this fake tree. These are the same kids who never took much interest in decorating a real tree.

This year, I’m getting a real tree. Yay! John is happy he won’t have to drag down the heavy body bags. The dogs will love drinking tree water from the base. I will add another year to the break-even equation…oh well.

When the kids come home for the holidays, our house will smell like Christmas.

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

O Tannenbaum, Vince Guaraldi Trio