O Christmas Tree – O Christmas Tree: Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees

1. O Christmas Tree – O Christmas Tree: Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees To go real or not go real—that’s the great holiday debate. At least in terms of whether to go with a real vs. artificial Christmas tree. Now to some, this has strictly become an environmental issue. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about sustainability and keeping this earth the great green wonderland it was created to be. But much like its holiday counterpart debate—you know, strings of all white lights or multi-colors?— the fresh vs. artificial tree debate rages on. Or at least it used to in this house at one time. By way of a little backstory I was that girl who grew up in a home where we never even considered having an artificial tree. Now keep in mind, I also grew up at a time when aluminum trees complete with the rotating color wheel were kind of a big thing, but still. Much like those children all nestled in bed while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads, there was nary a peep as to whether we’d have anything but a fresh tree. As it has a way of doing, time progressed and it came to pass that I married the elf of my dreams. Not surprisingly, we set out to blaze our own Christmas trail of traditions, but fortunately, we were both solidly in the real tree camp. That is until one of us was not. As the story goes, in those early years, given we didn’t live in the same town as either set of grandparents, when Christmas rolled around, we dutifully packed up our kiddos and made our way to one side of the family one year, and the other side the next. In doing so, we left our fresh tree behind only to return a week or so later to one that was, well let’s just say, less than fresh. As in, with very little effort, it was match-ready kindling for our fireplace. After several years of this routine, with my now not nearly so fresh elf-husband dragging said real tree to the curb each time we returned home, grumbling all the way, when things changed. And big-time changed. For one momentous day, words I never thought possible came zipping out of him slicker than sleigh bells on Santa’s sled. “I think it’s time we get a fake tree.” Yep, that’s what he said. As I stared back at him in slack-jawed astonishment, I carefully replied as any self- respecting elf-spouse would, declaring, “You can get a fake tree when you get a fake wife.”

2. This conversation/argument persisted for another year or so, until finally one day I offered him a proposition. A proposition, mind you, with a bar set so impossibly high as to assure he’d never agree to it and in so doing, assuring me I’d be looking at a real tree until the proverbial Christmas cows came home. Imagine my complete and utter amazement then, when he looked at me and simply said, “Okay.” To say I was dumbfounded would be tantamount to saying there’s no Santa Claus. But all harsh realities aside, he had agreed and being a woman of my word, I had to honor my end of the bargain. A fake wife, it seems, I had become. We’ve had an artificial, yet oh so environmentally friendly fake tree to this day…and truth be told, I’m aces with that. But the real kicker in all this? For the leggo my egg- noggin’ life of me, I cannot remember the deal I struck with him all those years ago and neither does he. Source URL: https://foodloops.net/2018/12/18/o-christmas-tree-o-christmas-tree-real- vs-artificial-christmas-trees/