The perfect tree? The search continues
LIFESTYLE THAT’S LIFE
by Elizabeth VanHooren
The Christmas tree is the focal point of every home during the holidays. And for me, the pursuit of the perfect Christmas tree has defined my Christmases as far back as I can remember. When I was a child, Dad was always responsible for bringing home the tree. Then my sisters and I would tackle the decorations. The thing with having three sisters is that each one has a certain preconceived notion of what constitutes a perfectly trimmed tree. There was inevitably a brawl (and by brawl I mean somebody usually ended up crying and retreating to her room). Somebody always disagreed over who should place the angel on the top, if the lights would be multi-coloured or just clear and if there was even going to be tinsel.
“the needles fell off like the tree was going through a shredder” But I digress, because even before we could trim the tree Mom and Dad had to wrangle the tree into the tree stand and agree on what side of the tree should face outward into the living room. One year, Dad devised a plan where he would
place the tree in the stand out in the garage. Mom was at the ready at the patio door with a towel waiting to slide the tree – in the stand – over to its place of honour in the living room. That was also the year that they conveniently forgot about the newly installed ceiling fan in the living room – the one that was running and took an extra foot or so off the tree, sending pine needles everywhere. As a newly married couple, my husband and I took to a local Christmas tree farm to partake in the entire cut-your-own Christmas tree experience. We set off into the forest armed with a saw and cut down the perfect tree. Our triumph was short lived when we found out that the tree we cut down actually cost over $100. Lesson learned: ask the price before you cut. Our second Christmas, together my husband went for a pre-cut tree (considerably less expensive). It must have been a steal. I
remember taking that tree down on Christmas Day night because, despite my daily watering regimen, the needles were falling off the tree and forming small peaked piles on my white carpet. You could actually hear them falling. When he took the tree out of the house through the patio door the needles fell off like the tree was going through a shredder. That Chrismas led to a huge argument of real versus artificial. By the way, we are still a household committed to a real Christmas tree. But we are much smarter about it. Now every year we head to a local Christmas tree farm. The kids get some hot chocolate and we walk down one aisle of freshly cut trees with the prices clearly marked. There are still the traditional battles over which one is the best (too fat, too skinny, too tall, too small) what’s the best way to get the tree in the house, coloured or clear lights, and whose turn it is to water. Frankly, in my experience there is no perfect Christmas tree, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Elizabeth VanHooren is General Manager of Kettle Creek Conservation Authority
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