Oh Christmas Trees, Oh Christmas Ease!

I can’t wait until Thanksgiving because I’m anxious to resume a tradition I started just a few years ago. I always loved the Christmas tree, just hated decorating it. All those tangles of fickle lights did not mix well with my OCD and putting the hooks on the ornaments was offensive to my short attention span. Then there was the distribution dilemma. Too many here. Not enough there. Not to mention trying to remember to fill the stand with sugary water every so often. And the needles…fugheddaboudit.

We had a live tree every year while my son was growing up. We are still waiting for him to grow up but since he’s 22 and no longer living here, I decided (about 3 years ago) to buy a pre-lit, decorated tree. I saw one at Old Time Pottery that really caught my eye. It’s about 4 feet tall, stands in an antique-gold painted square container. It is covered in totally tasteful red apples and berries with gold pears and white lights distributed perfectly all over.

I get it out of the closet, plug it in and, voila, instant yuletide ambience. Now, the problem is I want 5 of them. People with my particular attitude affliction always want more. Last year I dashed around madly to every store imaginable trying to find one or ten like it. None were to be found.

I improvised. I went to a craft store and bought a small artificial, pre-lit with white lights. I stuck some gold, swirly things in it, draped some ribbon around it, placed some, again tasteful, silk poinsettia flowers here and there and plugged it in across the room from the other one. Not quite the same preparatory ease as the first one, but much simpler than the traditional route. It looked good and with two of them I thought the room looked quite festive. I promise not to say, “It’s a good thing.” But it was.

This year, the angels of adornment have smiled upon me. Everywhere I go, I see these funky, sparkly, red and gold cone-shaped tannenbaum treasures in varying heights. Straight lines, no lights, not even a plug involved here. I’m going to add a few of those to the collection. This idea originated from guilt. “I should have a regular Christmas tree. I’m officially old if I get a pre-decorated table topper.”

Then I fixed it. I always say, “If you can justify it, you can do it.” My Christmas tradition will be to have a house full of these easy storable trees. Like snowflakes, no two will be alike. If I ever do have grandchildren, I picture them scampering into my house to look at all of my Christmas trees, squealing with delight–the kids not the trees.