TIME CHANGES MANY THINGS---EVEN CHRISTMAS TREES

Monday, December 13, 2010

My views on food, religion, politics and many other things have changed over the years. But when I was younger I  thought my views on Christmas trees, like my feelings about girls, would never change. Hey, a Christmas tree is some variety of a pine tree and it is suppose to be a real tree. Right?

When we lived in northern California it was a tradition for Charlotte, Carol, Allen and I to visit almost every tree lot in town, and there were many. Carol and Allen would scurry around all the way to the back of the lot and come back with excitement. They had found the perfect tree. Not in Charlotte's eyes. She always wanted a much smaller bettered shaped tree. The children and I usually convinced her and we drug the big tree home.

It was almost always misting just a little. Not raining hard. Just a little damp. Some how this made the outing just a bit more exciting and gave the feel of Christmas. I loved this time of the year and buying that live tree was a tradition that I didn't intend to let die. One year we ventured out and cut down our own tree. Long live the tradition of Christmas tree searching, selecting and buying---a live tree.

Moving from northern California to Arizona changed many things. Oh, we still have a Christmas tree and it is beautiful because Charlotte decorates it. But it's not a live tree. It's a big tree but not a live tree. My son helped me set it up Thanksgiving Day. We didn't spend any time selecting it. It was packed in a box in the garage. It had been there all year just waiting for us. It wasn't snowing or raining outside. It wasn't even misting rain.

It will be 80 degrees here today. But I will not have to put water in a container under the tree to keep it green. It is not a live tree. Allen was over for dinner a few nights ago and he smiled and mentioned how many presents were under the tree. Carol would have been with him but she was enjoying herself with friends at Disneyland. We smiled as we told Allen about the standing room only crowd that attended the Christmas program at church. We are a happy family here at Christmas time. I hope that never changes. But our tree has changed.

I now like girls (females) boiled okra, coffee and feel differently about many, many other things that I didn't like at all when I was a kid. Our Christmas tree is not a live tree---but I like it. I like it a lot!