Christmas Time: The Great Tree Debate
When I was growing up we always had a real Christmas tree. Every year we went out to a farm, or stopped by one of the little groves that popped up or one of the stores and picked out a tree. It was a lot of fun, especially when we cut down our own. Christmas tree farms have lots of space to run around and when you’re six, every tree looks like the tallest tree ever and you have no concept of what will or will not fit in your living room. We loved running through the trees and picking one for Dad to cut down.
Logan’s family, on the other side of the spectrum, always had a fake tree. They would pull the tree out every year and set it up, fluff it, and decorated it as they pleased. This allowed them to have it up much earlier and to enjoy it much longer than my family did, which makes sense, as my mom-in-law is very into Christmas. So when Logan and I joined forces to make a family of our own, the debate began: real tree or artificial?
The debate raged on the first year we were married, mostly between me and me. I did so want a real tree, but Logan had never dealt with one before, and my family had switched to a fake tree after the first year in the new house because it was such a pain getting the real tree in and out. This was the big deterrent for us as well. We lived on the third floor of an apartment building with narrow stair ways. It just wasn’t ideal for real tree lugging. On top of that, it would require gathering many things: a saw, a tree stand, lights, etc. And I didn’t really know how to take care of it, or when we should get it, or anything. We ended up with a fake tree and that was that. Still had to lug it up and down those stairs every year, but a tree in a box is much easier to deal with than a tree not in a box.
The second year there was no debate. We had the fake tree, we got it out and put it up and that was that. This year, however, we’re in a house and while I jumped on getting the tree up in my excitement over the Christmas season, I am wracked with self doubt about whether or not I should have waited on that. See, Our house is perfect for a real tree. We’d only have to bring it up a few stairs on the porch and right in the door and that’s where it would stay. It wouldn’t have to move any farther than that. But I already put the fake tree up in an assumption that we wouldn’t want to get a real tree again this year. But, having talked to a bunch of friends, I really want a real tree. I have friends who have a three month old baby who are getting a real tree. If they can handle it, certainly we can, right?
I have reasoned myself down to the fact that I already decorated our tree; I’m not going to undo it all and take down the tree to put up another tree and decorate it all over again. That’s just nonsense. Our tree is fine, and we don’t have all the things we need for a real tree, anyway. Maybe next November I’ll start collecting the things we need. My sister pointed out that we can probably steal the tree stand from my parents, since they don’t put up a real tree anymore. So that might be a thing. And then we can see how our cats react to a real tree in the house. They’ve been pretty good with the fake one, aside from a few instances of ornament theft and a lot of playing under the tree skirt.
So maybe next year I’ll have a real tree. I hate to say that because next year is so very far away and so much can happen between now and then, but there it is. Next year I will try very hard to have a real Christmas tree for once and it will be awesome. For now, I am content with my little fake tree. After all, it’s not a bad little tree. All it needs is a little love. I hope you are enjoying your own Christmas trees, my friends.
‹ Christmas Time: Cards Christmas Time: Cats under the Tree ›
Let me just say, as time moves forward, it begins to move forward much more quickly. That year is going to move forward more quickly this year than the last and soon it will be time for you to bring that tree and all the fresh smells that come with it. Buck up Bekah!