I can only think of maybe two years of my childhood where we had a real Christmas tree. Real trees are, without a doubt, the most beautiful, traditional and aromatic seasonal centerpiece to a home’s decor during the holidays. For some reason, those Christmases as a child seemed extra magical, perhaps because it was something we hadn’t experienced before. My wife was raised with “real” Christmas trees, so it seemed very noble to revive the Rockwellian tradition of choosing a tree, strapping it to the roof of the car, “planting” it in the living room, and trimming it all while sipping hot cider to the crooning of Bing Crosby’s “Oh Christmas Tree”. Little did I know, beginning this tradition turned our first six Christmases into a marriage-building exercise.
Maybe my inexperience in choosing real trees was the reason for the frustration we faced nearly every year. One year we picked out a beautiful seven foot pine – only to have it stand five feet tall after having to trim the trunk so it could be erected straight in the tree stand. Another year we had our tree last about three days before it shed nearly all of its needles onto the floor, with our decorations barely clinging to the wooden skeleton. One year our tree’s trunk was so large it split, unknown to us, the plastic tree stand. Every time we watered the tree, we were also watering the carpet, the presents and, later, our antique hardwood floors (we found this out just a few years ago when we pulled the carpet up).
Seven years ago, just a few weeks before Christmas, we picked out our first artificial tree. It’s a decision neither one of us has regretted. It always stands straight and tall, never needs watering, doesn’t shed a bit and the best part of all – it looks real. In fact, if we scrub the floors with Pine Sol you’d swear it was. I know there are a lot out there that lambaste the idea of a “fake” Christmas tree, but for us it is truly Peace on Earth!