The Christmas Tree Dilemma

Traditions have a hard time being released and laid down for me. There are people it seems to me that merrily skip through life, not burden with the expectations of ones self to be so encumbered. I on the other hand seem to be one of those people who hold dear to traditions especially in the area of family. It is kind of a dilemma in itself. I usually hate being contained to rules and regulations, and other people’s expectations. I prefer life to be lived with out rigid structure. I have a bit of an artistic temperament, which seems to explain my out of the box daily lifestyle. I hate to commit to a routine. My blessed mother was one of those ladies who had a set day for everything, example Monday was wash day, Tuesday ironing, and set bed times for her children, order and organization was her mantra. Plan ahead and prepare. As her first born I ran in total opposition to all that. I drove the poor woman crazy at times. In the area of traditions though, she kind of followed the out with the old in with the new style. As I grew up and realized we were not a very traditional family in the terms of yesteryear, my mother worked, didn’t have her first child till she was 28, was not the traditional stay at home mom. Basically my folks were some of the first D.I.N.K.S. I knew of. So what does this have to do with the Christmas tree? I grew up in the 50's & 60’s with live Christmas trees. Then the 70’s hit and my mother discovered the fake tree. I hated it, and bemoaned its existence in our family Christmas. So when I started my family, several things changed up. I became a stay at home mom, and even home schooled my children. Which at the time was against the flow, woman were now working outside the home, and home schooling? Who did that? I also flung myself into the full role of homey mommy. Every holiday became a big deal, and I grabbed a hold of other people’s traditions to make some for our lives. And the Christmas tree had to be real. Over the years as life has moved along, and I have slowed down a bit, and children have grown up, I have forced myself to let go of many of our holiday traditions. There is a great article over on the Reluctant Entertainer, cheering me on. Many a tradtion I have laid down gladly. BUT, and it is the biggest but, the fresh Christmas tree, how and what to do about that? My husband dreads the whole ordeal. He hates to stand around and heaven forbid go to another lot to find the best tree. Because he could care less, bless him, he is not a traditionalist, and these kinds of details, bore the poor man dearly. So I figured out after a while…that I could do this by myself. The guys at the tree lot will gladly hold up each and every tree for me ;>) and strap it on to my SUV. So I simply save my husband all the hassle, and deliver the tree right to his garage. Well as you all know, that is not the end of the process. Well to make an already long story short, this year for the first time in 31 years of marriage I felt ready to concede to the FAKE TREE. If only to make my poor husband a happier man during the holidays. So we bought a 9ft. continuous pre lit tree at Costco. I won’t even bother to bore you with the details of that final decision, and how many stores later. Who knew there were so many choices to make in buying a fake tree?
Anyways my youngest bemoaned the whole idea (18) she will get over it. This should be the easier more economical way to go? Right! No more tree shopping, no more watering, no more dead needles on the floor everyday, and no more putting lights on the blasted thing. Oh oh my! Be for warned. Three hundred dollars later, (as I figure it I will have to be stuck with this thing for 6 years just to come out even)an three hours later of lugging the very heavy tree in, assemblage, MAJOR tree fluffing, and when Christmas is over, I can only imagine how difficult it is going to be to stuff that baby back in the box!!!!!

So I am now asking, a bit to late hmmm. What do you do for a tree? How do you deal with the downside of either choice? At this point I am still wondering if I should just take the darn thing back!

Question number three. What is the best pine sented candle out there? Maybe if I can find something that smells real and not fake pine...ugh!!!!!! I can deal ;>)

24 hour update:
Couldn't fall asleep last night, after all was said and done. Wrote my husband a note. When I woke up, he was in full agreement. We hated the fake, expensive, wattage sucking,(the thing had 1800 lights on it, and it was heating our house) non smelling, storage wasting, monstrosity, that was eating up our great room. By 9:30 am that baby was back in the box, and on its way back to Costco. Can you believe it?

Stay tuned for more of Cindy's Holiday fun!