Our new tradition

On New Year's Day we celebrated our First Annual Planting of the Christmas Tree and the first year of our Christmas tree compromise.

You see, when it comes to Christmas trees, I am of the mindset that only a real one will do. For years, we have packed up all the kids in order to drive to a tree-lot to hunt for the perfect one and cut it down. I find beauty in the smell of a freshly-cut pine-tree and you can not beat the daily reminder of Christmas for weeks afterward while vacuuming up stray pine-needles.

My hubby, on the other hand, is a tree-lover. For him, the tossing of a perfectly good tree into the trash pile borders on laying waste to the environment. A few years ago, with a week-old baby in tow, he talked me into getting a fake tree by reminding me that if getting myself and five children dressed and fed by 3:00 in the afternoon was a challenge, a live tree that needed water everyday was sure to die. In hindsight I realize that this was a shrewd plan on his part and I have regretted the purchase ever since.

This year we hit on the compromise: a live tree potted and ready to be planted in our yard after Christmas, and to think it only took us 18 years to figure this out!

Because I look forward to many wonderful years with my hubby, I can envision a future in our little house surrounded by kids and grandkids, all nestled in the lovely pine-tree forest that we are planting. This puts a truly sweet smile on my face!