Oh Christmas Tree

Memorable Tree Moments of the Past (and a few tips, too!)

1. Puzzle Tree - Every Christmas I can remember until 1979

I grew up thinking every Christmas Tree came from a box, in pieces, with color coded branch tips to be assembled several days before Christmas. Afterall, real Christmas trees in California cost a million dollars! Oh how I loved sticking those branches into the center dowel!

2. Christmas Tree Farm? - Christmas 1980

I'd heard of farms before .... cows are there, pigs, maybe a farmer and some corn .... but Christmas trees????
Imagine my awe when we celebrated our first Christmas in Oregon and a real live delicious smelling tree came into our home. I think the Christmas Tree may be the Oregon state flower.

3. Lopsided Tree - Christmas 1992

Never let your 4 year old hang all the ornaments on one side of the tree as this may cause your tree to fall over in the middle of the night making you think a burglar has entered your home.

5. Dead tree - Christmas Eve 1996

Always give your tree a fresh cut at the stump before setting it up in the stand or you may have a dead tree by Christmas. This is the year my dad drove me all over town looking for a new tree late in the afternoon, Christmas Eve. We found one and had it up and decorated by the time Jim came home from work.

4. Dying Tree at Dusk - Christmas 1998

Never pick out a Christmas tree at dusk. You may find upon bringing it inside of the well lit house that half of the needles are brown already and you just have to put up with it for a season.

6. Stolen Tree Christmas - Christmas 2001

If tagging your tree in advance, be sure there are plenty of guard dogs, chains and padlocks on your tree to keep others from stealing the tree before you actually come back to get it 2 weeks later.

7. Finally a Noble Tree - Christmas 2007

My favorite kind of tree, but they cost as much as those trees in California! But this year, we cut an 8 footer beautiful noble for as little as any Douglas Fir in town. My favorite - installed with a fresh cut before stand insertion; no brown/dead spots; ornaments equally distributed throughout for adequate balance and stability, and no assembly required! (but what I would give to be able to assemble a California box tree one more time .....)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!