Tree "B"

This is tree "B". We bought it for $20 a couple months after we were married. At that time, all the Wal-Mart tree's had a letter on the box, indicating how nice of a tree it was. Tree "A" was the worst, and Tree "F" was ever-so-grand. We settled for tree "B" thinking we could upgrade the next year.

Every year, I think it will be the last for tree "B" and every year, there's no extra money for a new one, so we put her up again. And you know what? I've decided I really like tree "B". She's quite bare and "charlie brownish" at first, but after adding the ornaments, I'm always happy.

I've made or bought a new set of ornaments every year for the past 10 years. Some have already been retired due to supreme tackiness, and some are STILL on the tree. For our first Christmas I found some pieces of styrofoam that were *almost* square, and wrapped them with wrapping paper and tied raffia around them. I think they'll always be on our tree.

Everyone around our little town has a real tree. EVERYONE. I've tried to understand why people love having a real tree, but I will always love my fake one. I love the perfectness of the branches. I love that it doesn't shed, and I love that it doesn't smell. I love that instead of buying a new tree each year, I can buy a few new ornaments.

Some day, I'd like to have a pre-lit tree (since I hate putting the lights on) but I don't think I'll be able to give up this tree. We'll just have to have two. There are too many memories. Each of my kids (at different times) has pulled this tree down after it's been fully decorated. Some years it is so mangled and hideous by Christmas that it becomes a source of great humor. One year I actually had to tie a string around it, and thumb-tack it to the wall to get it to stay standing. And who can forget the year that I bought the "twigs" with the curly ends? Some of you already know what Todd thought of those, but I'd better not post it for the public.

We needed blueprints to decorate our tree growing up. My dad taught us all the "rules". The lights, beads, and ribbon need to be carefully woven in and out of each branch (not wrapped around in a tornado). The sparkly lights go up the middle, but you need to have plenty of lights that stay on at all times. Always decorate from the inside out, so your ornaments are "layered" and not just on the outside branches. And spacing is especially important, especially with different sizes and colors of ornaments. We tease him about how perfect it has to be, but I am grateful for all that my Dad taught me about the "principles and elements of design" by watching him decorate our beautiful tree every year. Mine will never look as good as his, but he probably has tree "S" and I'm sure it didn't come from Wal-Mart...

I've always had a hard time letting my kids "help" thanks to my dad's "rules"...I guess we need blueprints at our house, too. I've longed for the day when the kids would leave the ornaments on my tree alone, so it could look nice for an entire season. Luckily, our boys have their OWN little two foot dollar store tree that they are allowed to do whatever they want with, and they do. I'll have to post a picture...it's priceless.

Tree "B" has been up for a week now, and it hasn't been touched. Everything is in place just where I put it. The kids have given up their curiosity for the individual ornaments, and they just enjoy watching it sparkle at night.

And I'm not so sure how I feel about it.

Would anyone like to come mess up my tree?