Personal Revolution and The Christmas Tree: An Essay From My Old Lady

My old lady had an awesome idea about Christmas Trees

so I asked her to write it out for the blog,

as the idea is too good to paraphrase.

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Christmas Trees: Live, and let... Live? A genial idea! 

I recently had a lovely trip with my mom and sisters up to North Conway, NH where I purchased a small box of incense made from pine in one of those great country stores.  I had to buy it.  I crave that smell, especially this time of year.  

My sister asked me if Joe and I were going to put up a tree for Christmas.  I told her that we have a fiber optic plastic tree from Aunt Dolly that we might put up, but that a real tree was probably not in the cards for 2012.  Is it December 5th already?  No, actually it's December 6th... what? 

She looked disappointed, explaining that Joe and I are married now and really should think about getting a real tree.  I was confused at first.  What does being married have to do with getting a once-living Christmas tree as opposed to a man-made tree?  I began thinking about Christmas Trees and where I stand on the whole subject.  

There is something about the real tree that I love; taking the time to find it, figuring out the best way to get it in the house (always a challenge), waiting for the branches to unfurl, dressing it up, and basking in that amazing nostalgic pine smell with your loved ones throughout the holiday season.  I totally get it.  In fact, I miss it.  

I was a lucky kid.  My parents always bought a real Christmas tree.  Sometimes we went to the tree farm in Newbury and cut it down.  Whether pre-cut, or not, choosing a tree was a process to say the least.  No bent trunks, or holes in the branches allowed.  It was important (especially to my Dad) that the tree was near perfect and we would all work to find the best tree on the lot (rooted, or cut).  I looked forward to this event every year.  

My favorite Christmas Tree memory is probably lying on the living room floor with my head under the branches looking up at the lights... psychedelic.  I would lay there for a long time feeling peaceful.  

Although one could conceivably achieve that feeling with a man-made tree, the aspects of my memory I find most comforting can only be reached with real pine; running my fingers over the delicate branches, feeling those little needles, some breaking off into my hands, leaving that fresh, real-pine smell on my fingers.  That bit of nature in the house during the winter just feels good.

Back to the pine incense, I've been trying to recreate these feelings without having to buy a real tree and I can honestly say that it is not working.  I want a real tree in my house for Christmas.  I just can't shake it (pun intended).  

However, as I get older I find myself becoming increasingly more weary of such practices and others.  I've recently limited the amount of meat and animal products I consume, I found my grandmother's cloth napkins to use in lieu of paper ones, I will not kill a spider, and I don't even know if I can go fishing with my dad anymore.  I am becoming a hippie, naturally (another bad pun) and I'm fully embracing it.  

Along with these changes, I am realizing that I just cannot bring myself to cut down a beautiful, thriving, teenage pine tree.  "It's not ready to die, it's just a baby!"  ::hugs tree::

At this point I need to clarify:  I am not discouraging these practices as I support purchasing real Christmas Trees as well as consuming meat and dairy products, fishing, hunting etc.  I also think that it's great when people support their local tree-farm businesses.  I want them to prosper as well!  

I'm just having a lot of trouble with the idea of purchasing a real Christmas Tree, myself.  I personally need my Christmas Tree to live and continue living after Christmas.

My idea for a solution is this:  I want to purchase a living baby tree (from a local florist) and bring it in the house for the month of December, in it's pot.  I want to give it a makeover every December, make it pretty with lights, ornaments and all.  At the end of December, I want to bring it back outside where it can continue living and growing into the beautiful adult tree it can be, reaching it's full potential.  We can upgrade it's pot as it grows and get new baby trees when the adult trees are ready to live in the forest.   

I think I will do it...next year. It's already December 6th! 

Worth noting potential hurdles:

-I can't even lift my own piano hard-case and I'm thinking this potted Christmas tree will get heavy.  Sorry Joe... 

-I kill every plant I try to grow. 

Still! I am optimistic that this idea will work. 

For those who are not big babies and prefer cutting down their own Christmas tree, or purchasing a pre-cut tree, there are so many ways to re purpose your pine after the holiday season.  Tree recycling organizations will use them for many helpful, environmentally friendly things.

We always burned ours in the campfire in a blaze of glory.  Another great memory. 

Merry Christmas. 

Love, 

Joe's Old Lady