Thursday, December 6, 2007

Real Tree? Fake Tree? No Tree?






Which do you prefer?




I think our preference changes as we get older. When my kids were at home, nothing would do but a Real Tree. As the kids grew older the cost of presents grew as well, so we began to look for ways to save a few bucks. Fake trees were beginning to look more real and you could even buy pine scented spray. This became the norm for many years.

Soon, I got a case of the scrooges after my kids left home to build lives of their own. For some reason decorating the tree with just the company of my dogs Taylor and Rocky did not put me into the Christmas spirit.

The conversation would go something like this:

“Hey Taylor, what do you think about this ornament? Does the star look crooked?”

“Rocky, hand me the other end of the garland you have in your paw.”

As you might have guessed, this was a one way conversation. Soon, I convinced myself that decorating a Christmas tree was a human group activity. The animals were just for looks, like the ones in the Manger.

Some people may not like Christmas trees, or may be allergic to real ones or they are not able to afford fake ones. When it comes down to the wire Christmas is not about The Tree. In part Christmas is about being with people you love… or at least like. This was my lesson.


Write it down,


Carma