Today is Dan's and my wedding anniversary. We really didn't have anything planned for today. Instead, over the weekend, we went out and picked out a Real Tree for our livingroom. It is, by default, our anniversary gift to each other.
I decided a long time ago that real trees were far more "green" than trees made from petroleum products (besides, they smell wonderful), so, we sought out a tree farm in our area and picked out the tree that we wanted. On the farm, we were met by an elderly German farmer who warned us that most people pick a tree that's too large for their house. He also noticed our old BMW and declared that Audis were better sellers in Europe.
Being an experienced tree-picker, I declared that if we could find a tree that was Dan's height, that would suit us very well. We have 9-feet tall ceilings in our house, and I felt certain that a tree that was just over 6 feet tall would work well in that space.
Well, we got our tree, and slung it into the trunk of the car where it dangled dangerously just above road level on the way home. Thankfully, we didn't have far to go.
The afternoon was spent shaping the tree and getting it into my old cast iron stand. The stand has stood the test of time and still is in great shape, with the exception of missing a couple of locking nuts. As it turned out, these were important to the general stability of the tree.
Several hours later, after digging through several plastic storage bins, the tree stood, proudly, in its stand, in one corner of the room, partially blocking the view of the television set. Sure, the height is fine - but the tree is FULL. And sappy. Still, proud of our accomplishment, we "let it go," determined to enjoy the tree more than our view of the television set, and called it a day when our eyelids were drooping and after I had wearied of cleaning up pine needles.
Dan went off to bed. And that's when we heard the Crash. Followed by the sounds of tinkling broken glass ornaments. I rushed into the livingroom and surveyed the carnage in front of me. The noise woke Dan from his slumber and he looked with dismay over the water-logged wreckage. We looked at each other. And laughed. We were too tired to cry.
The next day, we went to the hardware store to pick up the missing locking nuts, and spent no less than four hours detangling four strings of lights. The tree is now in the other corner - away from the television set, and shows no sign of falling over. It smells heavenly and now it feels like the holiday season at last. The great thing about having a wedding anniversary so close to the holidays is that it feels like the world is celebrating with you. Listen to the audio: [ 5.5 MBs]
I miss not having a real tree. It's so dry here that when they get to Southern California, they're really pretty dead. And a fire hazard. Plus, we often leave town. So each year, we set up the fake one.... and light pine scented candles.
Happy Anniversary, Aunt Melanie and Uncle Dan! I'm sorry to hear of your mishap with the tree, but at least you had a laugh about it. Happy Holidays, and thank you for the card!
Name: Melanie O. Home: Durham, North Carolina, United States About Me: Female, American health and beauty-conscious professional who has rekindled a childhood love of dolls. See my profile...
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I miss not having a real tree.
It's so dry here that when they get to Southern California, they're really pretty dead. And a fire hazard. Plus, we often leave town. So each year, we set up the fake one.... and light pine scented candles.
Oh well....