Tomorrow is my birthday…it’s not a big one…not a decade mark, but I am pretty happy to celebrate another year. Â Both Emily and I have been around the sun a few times though and had never experienced a live Christmas tree. Â We never had live trees growing up because I am allergic to everything. Â Of course, I grew up in the woods so I was surrounded by evergreen trees, but they were never in the house. Â Anyhow, since I have been so sick the last month or so, I decided that a new tree can’t possibly make me feel any worse than I already do.
We loaded up the kids in the van and headed to the Capitol Market in Charleston, one of WV’s best farmer’s markets. Â This time of year, the sell only one thing…Christmas trees! Â We wandered through hundreds of trees looking for the cheapest price….erm..I mean the best shaped tree. Â About 2/3 of the way down the market, we happened upon the cheapest…erm…best shaped…trees. Â We talked to the folks working there and they told us where their trees were grown (locally) and their price was good so we picked out a tree.
The guy working there ran our tree through the wrapping machine and offered to run Isaac through as well. Â I told him I would pay him $10 extra to run both kids through but we measured and his machine would not quite handle their size. Â I bet for $20 he would have made it work.
Anyhow, we tied the tree atop the van and proceeded to cruise over all of the hills and curves back to the house. Â Neither of us wanted to look back fearing we’d see our tree rolling down the hill towards the next car in line.
We made it home and I manhandled the tree into the house and set it into the new tree stand we bought. Â The kids cut the tree-wrap into hundreds of tiny pieces that were left strewn about the house. Â Emily cut the last bit of the wrap as the kids and I cowered in fear of the tree’s opening.
We put lights on the tree and, of course, the kids started to fight. Â The good news is, they seemed to fight in rhythm with the Christmas carols we had playing so it felt like Christmas indeed!
So far, allergies have not been a factor and I have not yet keeled over dead. Â I am not any better, but I am not much worse either!
So, do you set up a tree? Â Live or artificial?
Besides Warren and the kids loving the tree, our cat “Moe” is in heaven. He obviously thinks we bought the tree just for him as he hangs out under it all the time. We are decorating it in stages (as we can only handle so much of the kids fighting at a time) but it is beautiful.
We always have a live tree – ours will be set up this weekend. =)
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It looks great! We have 2 artificial. Nathan wakes up in the morning with his sneezing fits so I don’t know if he could take a live one. I don’t think it is nearly as bad as the crud you have. Lily is certainly looking forward to Christmas. She keeps asking how many days.
Pretty tree. We usually have an artificial one-but this year one of my girls has announced fake trees are for folks who have no Christmas Spirit : ) So maybe we’ll try a real one this year. Hope you’re better soon.
.-= tipper´s last blog ..November Was Full Of Love To Spread =-.
I grew up with ‘live’. I married into ‘live’. I began noticing my daughter would get a terrible cold and be sick for most of the holiday vacation. I wondered if it could be the tree. It was! We now set up a beautiful artificial tree and don’t have to water it or mess with falling needles. I don’t miss the real tree one little bit.
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Love the idea of a real tree but hate the thoughts of colds, allergies, etc. for a month.
Nice tree! I love the pic when both kids standing next to it.
If we do get a tree it’s always a live tree.
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LIVE! It is a tradition. We go out a cut our own. Headed to Lincoln County tomorrow for the annual tradition.
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Your tree looks fabuluos. I bet it smells so good in there! We use artificial. I really don’t know why, I guess it is easier. We always did live trees when I was little. I sure miss the smell. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
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Come January lay the tree on a tarp and drag it out the door. This keeps most of the shed needles off the floor. Otherwise they hide out until July. Bad enough when the wood floor develops its winter gaps and a real mess on carpet. Nice shape, by the way.
I had a live tree all my life, Warren, until 2002. That year my allergies got so bad I could not deal with it, so we bought an artifical tree and have used it since. But this year I have found a “Charlie Brown” tree out in our woods that we’re going to cut. My allergies are under control at last (I even have an outside cat now) and I want a real tree again. We won’t put ours up until about 2 weeks before Christmas because with wood heat the trees dry out quickly.
Happy birthday, Warren!!
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Happy Birthday (tomorrow of course). We haven’t gotten our tree yet, I do have some fresh garland to put up outside though. Then I need to get to work on the inside. If only I didn’t have a job though, then I’d have more time to do all the decorating.
Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Hubby’s a safety freak…in the nicest way of course. No live dead tree in our house for fear of burning the place down. Not the house so much as the Corvette in the garage, lol!
Love the shot of the kids next to the tree! Kim
.-= the inadvertent farmer´s last blog ..Prefab Gingerbread House Yes I cheated! =-.
happy belated birthday! I love real trees, but got out-voted this year as the kids wanted it up early.
Kris
.-= Kris Bair´s last blog ..Less is definitely more =-.
Happy B-lated birthday!!!
I love your guys site.
Dora Renee’ Wilkerson