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December 18, 2006
Lessons from the tree
1) When you turn your back and hear "FROW! BALL" (Smash) - you realize that you should have remembered that 6 months of more or less constant ball-throwing would not be forgotten once the Christmas tree was decorated.
2) When you take out a couple of teeny-tiny stockings that are used as Christmas ornaments, you should not be suprised, a few minutes later, to see same baby (well- toddler) standing at the tree with dirty socks, earnestly trying to find places for them.
3) It is good to wait until the last minute (if 9 days before Christmas qualifies as "last minute," which, apparently it does). You get a very nice, full 8-foot tree for...fifteen bucks. Yay, Oakdale Neighborhood Association Guy who clearly wanted to clear out the lot so he could go home. I'd show you a picture but the USB cord has disappeared.
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
I am so glad to hear that we are not the only ones decorating the tree "late" this year. Almost all the lots around here were sold out. We ended up going to HomeDepot yesterday, which doesn't even bother to put the trees in water or help you tie it to your roof. Sheesh!
Got the lights up yesterday. Ornaments to follow soon. Hopefully...:-)
Posted by: Peter Nixon at Dec 18, 2006 1:47:12 PM
Missing USB cord? Did you check the tree?
Posted by: Chris at Dec 18, 2006 1:47:17 PM
Our tree goes up on wednesday. Our toddler hasn't destroyed any extant decorations yet, but gets a huge smile and says "christmass Lights!" when we turn them on.
Posted by: ignorant redneck at Dec 18, 2006 2:02:21 PM
My wife likes to make a very clear distinction between Advent and Christmas, so we don't even go out to get our tree until Christmas Eve. Sometimes, that's been a problem...but we've since discovered a local grocery store that always has a lot of decent trees left over. And the price is perfect: FREE.
Posted by: Chris at Dec 18, 2006 2:07:37 PM
We're almost with Chris's wife on the timing issue. No carols are allowed in the house until Christmas Eve because it's Advent, not Christmas. However, the tree is bought and up, but it will not be decorated until the weekend.
Posted by: Mac in Alberta at Dec 18, 2006 2:40:01 PM
About the only time I actually look forward to my husband's treks to his second job (375 miles away) is in December. He brings our tree back from northern ME. Beautiful, pine smells, freshly cut, lasts for a month, and the transport cost is next to nothing (he says he uses a little more gas).
This year, he was despondent because he had gotten to the lot on Thursday night after the proprietor had closed up shop. Hubby brings back two extra-tall trees for families who are friends of ours, and he thought there was no way they'd be there on Friday -- he'd have to wait for the guy to chop them down, and not get home until 3 AM (it's a six hour drive at least). He mentioned his problem to the clinic staff... well, you know you're in northern ME when your clinic staff turns out to be the cousin of the guy who runs the Christmas tree lot. Cousin showed up with husband of clinic staff at 5:30, tied two enormous trees and one 8 ft one onto a little brown Focus, and sent hubby home early -- he got in at midnight!
All for less than the cost of a two-month-old 8 ft tree in Boston. Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Posted by: scotch meg at Dec 18, 2006 3:01:13 PM
As a former resident of the Oakdale Neighborhood Association, and toiler on its tree lot (our biggest fundraiser), I thank you.
Posted by: Nance at Dec 18, 2006 3:14:37 PM
Scotch Meg - as the son of a man who owns a couple Christmas tree farms in "northern ME", may I ask where exactly you got the trees? Maybe it's a small world?
Posted by: Chris S at Dec 18, 2006 3:35:21 PM
Hmmmm....Casa Zhou has still never had a Christmas tree.
We do Advent Wreath, Creche, and this year we even have a wreath on the front door. And we string up Christmas cards around the house.
But it seems there are plenty of Christmas trees around everywhere: Church (after Dec. 24), the office, the library, the gym, St. Peter's square, the White House lawn, etc. that we don't really feel "deprived." We get that "fresh conifer" scent from the wreaths. We just don't need our own personal tree.
Is there anyone else reading this that does not have "Christmas tree at home?" (I imagine if you had smallish children at home, not having a Christmas tree might be the same as serving roasted rabbit for Easter brunch...)
Posted by: Old Zhou at Dec 18, 2006 3:40:41 PM
I'm single. So though I've got a small artificial tree that my parents gave me, I don't really see much point in putting it up. I'd really get more enjoyment from it at work.
But since I'm probably staying home for Christmas this year, I'll probably start decorating this week, if I manage to finish cleaning up my apartment and moving in the new shelving. That tree probably would fit up on the new shelving, now that I think about it.
Posted by: Maureen at Dec 18, 2006 3:49:02 PM
I seriously thought you were going to say the "baby" had the stocking on - ha! That would have been classic too. And I can't tell you how many USB cords we have floating around our house somewhere. You'd think it would be easier to find one when you need one. Happy Advent!
Posted by: + Alan at Dec 18, 2006 4:24:44 PM
Our toddler took a snowman ornament off the tree and was found at the front door "feeding" birdseed to the snowman. I figure she thought the carrot was a beak?
Posted by: Eileen R at Dec 18, 2006 4:51:10 PM
I had to laugh when I read about the dirty socks. We have an artificial tree that goes up sometime between my husband's birthday (Dec 7) and mine (Dec 20). It takes a few days for our 8 kids to get their ornaments on as the ornaments are moved repeatedly to see who can get theirs highest on the tree. We won't have many down low this year because of our youngest, who is 15 months. He likes to hang anything he can get his warm hands on in the tree. He also likes to try and feed the ornaments he can reach to the dog. So far, the dog is being smart about not taking them from him!
Posted by: Sharon at Dec 18, 2006 5:49:47 PM
We had a very hard time convincing our 2-1/2 year old daughter that Christmas stockings were for hanging, not wearing. She liked to put them on and "ice skate" on the wood floor . . .
Posted by: Regina at Dec 18, 2006 5:53:18 PM
I'm single, going to my brother's soon, and decided that after 2 tries of keeping a small potted pine alive through the summer that I just can't do it. No tree in my place, just a wreath and some mini lights. But I will be giving and getting presents under the tree at my brother's house.
Posted by: Sarah at Dec 18, 2006 7:18:06 PM
Hi Chris,
Peter goes to Houlton, ME, and works an outpatient clinic at Houlton Regional Hospital. I don't know where he gets the trees, but the folks up there are terrific and make it worth the trek. We need the money to pay student loans, but it wouldn't be worth it if the people weren't so very, very nice.
And even if it isn't quite that small a world, please know that there are city folk who appreciate your neck of the woods.
Posted by: scotch meg at Dec 18, 2006 7:46:12 PM
Ah well, the tree farms are in Presque Isle and Washburn, another hour or so north of Houlton. My family is actually from Bangor, and I myself live in Portland these days, but I still love going up there from time to time. Baxter State Park is about as far north as I get most of the time, though I do go to Ashland every October to go bird hunting :)
Posted by: Chris S. at Dec 18, 2006 8:27:53 PM
Don't know what ever happened to the big trees we used to get when I was a kid in Chicago many years ago. My Dad usually waited until Christmas Eve to get a tree (no doubt to save money; he still got a tree that we had to cut some from the top and bottom to fit in our living room with 9 ft. ceilings. As I remember, they were usually as wide on the bottom as our fireplace was wide.
Years later, I worked at a mental health facility in another city that had a long winding drive into the grounds. Guess where some of the locals got their trees---yes, evey year a couple of the trees lining the drive would get poached.
Posted by: francisz at Dec 18, 2006 9:37:11 PM
In my native Sweden the tree is set up and decorated in the evening (after the children have gone to bed) on the 23. On Christmas Eve the children are eager to get up early to see what the tree looks like. The tree is kept for 20 days after Christmas. We live in Belgium where the tree is usually set up on St Nicholas. My kids have been bugging me to get a tree, telling me that we're not in Sweden now and last Friday I gave in. I tried one year doing it the Swedish way, but then we had to keep the tree lying around in the garden until spring (when the garbage people start collecting "green waste" again)as we missed the garbage truck for trees that comes around on Epiphany.
Old Zhou: Before I had children I never had a Christmas tree. I personally don't feel I need a real tree at home and I don't see the point of a fake one.
Posted by: AnnaB at Dec 19, 2006 8:28:03 AM
We beat ya! We got a six-footer from Menards last night for 3 bucks. (8-9 footers were 5 bucks!)
Posted by: Papa-Lu at Dec 20, 2006 10:21:46 AM
