What happened to my Christmas Tree?

Have you ever in your life seen a sadder Christmas Tree?

How did such a beautiful tree self destruct so quickly? It all started out so nicely. Several weeks ago my family made our annual trek through the forest to find the perfect Christmas Tree. Well maybe not the forest, more like the tree farm. Regardless, I painstakingly walked up and down the rows of trees looking for the perfect Christmas Tree. You must understand that this is quite an ordeal. We hike through rows of trees. Evaluating each one, searching for the perfect balance of height and width. Inevitably, my husband and I never agree on the same tree. And to make matters worse my sister-in-law finds her tree and in about ten seconds so now everyone is waiting for me and the pressure is on. Eventually, we select the “perfect tree”  My husband now has to cut down the tree . As he cuts, I continually remind him to cut the tree as low down to the ground as possible so it doesn’t lose any height. This goes over really well since my husband has heard this reminder a thousand times and as a general rule hates to be told what to do. But I can’t help myself.

Then on to the roof it goes for the drive home. Once home, my husband recuts the bottom- which makes me crazy because it’s losing more height. However, he insists the tree has to be freshly cut so the tree can take in water. Then he puts the tree up and waters it with warm water and sugar. A lot of love and care goes into this tree!!

It was a gorgeous tree on Christmas. 

By New Year’s Day my husband proclaims that it is dead and has to come down. Of course I disagree with my husband, because that is what I do. Our beautiful tree that we have watered and nurtured can’t be dead! It’s too early to take it down. I insisted the tree was not dead, and I was not taking it down. The kids then joined in on Dad’s side but still I refused to falter, I was right the tree was wonderful and certainly not dead.

Later on when everyone went to bed I am sitting alone on the computer and I hear a sound sort of like rain. It reminded me of a rain stick. It was the needles falling of the tree. I can admit when I am wrong and took the tree down. By the time we got it out of the house it had lost almost all of its needles.

Here we are in front of this years “perfect tree” before it self-destructed.