We have been without a “real” Christmas tree for 26 years now, and I don’t regret it. Hunting down the perfect tree each year, spending way too much money, cutting off part of the trunk, fitting it into a stand, pouring gallons and gallons of water on it, vacuuming up the needles for weeks after Christmas, turning the lights off whenever we left the room, and worrying about it catching fire and burning down the whole house, are hassles I’m glad to be without.
What I do miss is the lovely smell of Christmas that pervades the house when a natural tree enters the domain. We’ve bought air wick, and pine scented candles and tree scented spray, yet nothing gives the Christmas scent that comes with a “real” tree. A few years ago, a friend gave us a magnificent wreath that we put up on the wall in the living room, and the smell of Christmas was back. It didn’t take a whole tree or the mess to give the entire place a wonderful Christmassy smell.
If you miss the smell of Christmas, consider getting a natural evergreen wreath, or cutting some boughs from an evergreen shrub in your yard to tuck in with your decorations. You might even see if a neighbor has an extra bough that they have had to cut off their natural tree.
Ummm! Smells like Christmas!
UPDATED: DECEMBER 2014
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We had a artificial tree all the years I grew up….and they were very different than the artificial trees now. When we got married, I wanted to have a real teee, and we have done the whole ” into the woods to search for the perfect teee” thing. Lots of fun and great memories with getting a tree home and into the stand. Of course in Cambodia, we had a fake tree, and were happy to have it! When we came back we went back to the going to the lot to buy a real teee, but last year was a complete disaster, when the tree didn’t fit into the stand right, and fell over…..after it was all decorated! And I totally know what you mean, with the cutting off the lower branches, trying to lift the tree into the stand, watering every day, pine needles all over, and the worry of fire ( especially when you have a wood stove…..so this year we were blessed to be given a used-only-once artificial tree, and we were thrilled to get it! I have decided we are too old to do the real tree scenario anymore, especially now that the kids are grown! I also have a real pine wreath …but mine is on the front door!
That is such a neat story! We can’t have a real wreath in our home because of allergies, so just deal with it. Our “tree” is 7 1/2 feet tall and very nice! We are blessed.