A Real Tree

We decided to try something different this year, and bought a real, live Christmas tree.

I have had an artificial tree my entire life, so I did not really know what to expect.  I have been told that live trees are messy, with needles falling down, and need to be watered regularly.  Oh, and folks also say they are expensive too.  Other folks rave about how wonderful a real tree is....the scent, the tradition of picking the perfect tree, etc.  

Last Christmas, our artificial tree wore out and broke.  We had to tie it to the wall to keep it standing for the rest of the season.  It was so wimpy that the star on top fell to the floor and busted.  We made the decision to get rid of the broken tree after Christmas, and plan to try a live tree this year.  The timing seemed good.  If the live tree did not work out for us this year, we could always buy a new artificial tree when they go on sale after Christmas.  We would purchase our live tree at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch's Christmas Corral.  That way, money spent was for a great charity cause anyway.  Sometimes it is fun to break tradition and try something new.  So, we did.

We bundled up warm and visited the GGYR Christmas Tree Corral.

They had trees of all shapes and sizes.  We had no clue what we were looking for.  Jersey #2 was only interested in the price.  The Referee had to remind her that she was not the one paying for the tree, so she did not need to be so concerned with the price.  After browsing the rows and rows of trees, we decided to pick a tree that would be short enough for the kids to be able to reach majority of it.  Had we gone with too tall of a tree, it would only get partially decorated by our young crew.

We picked a Douglas Fir that was close to 5 feet tall.  We bought a tree stand, and had the tree volunteers attach it for us.  The tree fit great in the back of the truck.  The Referee hauled it into the house and stood it up, and that was it.  Jersey #1 filled the stand with water right away.

The whole live tree experience seemed easy enough.  We are happy with our choice.

Decorating the tree was a blast.  Lights, garland, ornaments, oh my!

Jersey #2 just cannot resist wearing stockings on all her limbs.  

It took me a while to figure out that Jersey #4 was taking the ornaments that lacked hooks, and setting them on the TV stand.  She was stashing them away to play with later.  Before I knew it, our TV stand was loaded down with decorations.

We were having a blast, decorating with gusto.  Then, Jersey #1 said something that sealed the deal that this would probably have to be our first and last live Christmas tree.

"Mom, my arms are getting a rash, and I am itchy all over."

She is allergic to the Christmas tree.

Poor kid.

It confirmed my suspicions about the cause of Jersey #1 and Jersey #3 having an increase in nasal congestion from the day we brought the tree home.  It is easy to dismiss such "seasonal" allergies as being...well, seasonal.

Jersey #3 is also allergic to hay.  He can go out to a farm, ride horses, or go on a hay ride without complaint, but his little nose just pours and pours many colors.  I was hoping that the response to the Christmas tree would be just as livable.  Unfortunately, rashes and hives are just not as easy to brush off.  

At the moment, I think we can keep the tree.  Christmas is not far away.  We told Jersey #1 to not touch it anymore.

But, it looks like I will be shopping the after-Christmas sales for a new artificial tree.  And, we will just make a donation to GGYR next year, instead of buying a live tree from their corral.

There is never a dull moment in this Game of Life...