The past few years, Larry and I were trying to start our own little tradition. We went out to the Christmas Tree farm and chopped our own tree. It was really fun and festive. However, cutting down a fresh tree (sap and all) poses a problem when you have allergies. We usually spent about 3 weeks sniffling, sneezing, nursing a sore throat and itchy eyes. (But MAN did our tree look good!) Last year, we almost bit the bullet and bought a fake tree. In fact, we did buy a fake tree.... but we started putting it together and it was so lame that we returned it and decided we would go through another year of allergies.
Well, this year, I found a really pretty artificial tree. Pricey, but pretty. It averaged out to about 3 years worth of cutting down our own real tree. I figured it would last at least that long, so I bought it. 7.5 feet, pre-lit, 3 pieces, easy to assemble. It took me almost 2 hours to fluff all the branches, but by the time I was done, I was really impressed. The tips of all the branches were plastic and looked real. I was very pleased.
And then I plugged it in.
And there were 4 branches that wouldn't light up.
It really didn't look that bad, but since I had spent so much money on it and it was brand new, I decided that it really should work properly for at least one year. So I spent another hour taking it down and getting it back into the box so I could take it back.
Little did I know that pre-lit 7.5 artificial trees are a hot commodity. There isn't another to be found in 25 miles. Sooooo....... we decided that I would get one 50% off after Christmas. I didn't need to spend that much on a fake tree anyway. But I couldn't go totally without a tree, right? Fortunately, Martha Stewart produces this 4 foot tree:
Tiny and lame, I know. But I added my twinkly lights and it really isn't all that bad. It isn't all that good, but I'll make it work. I'm all about finding the silver lining. The tree isn't what it's all about anyway, right? Plus, it sits on top of the end table where Blossom's bed is hidden, so I guess it all works out.
Pssssh. Who am I kidding. You better believe we are stocking up on Zyrtec and cutting our own tree next year. This baby will be decorating the front porch. (but if you happen to see a GE 7.5ft Pre-Lit Frasier Fir on sale after Christmas, let me know!)
1 comment:
Blossom is living large!
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