Happy New Year!

  This isn't another blog about profound reflections on the last year and all of the changes I'll promise to make for 2014, then inevitably break the resolutions and start over.  No, this is just a few of my ramblings and thoughts on life in general. 
   Since I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm still eating Christmas candy on Jan. 3rd, I figured I'd let you in on our Christmas tree story.  

  My husband, Adam, has been pushing me for years to get a real Christmas tree.  He couldn't understand how I was so consumed with everything about Christmas, but wasn't willing to get a real tree. He underestimated my hatred for sap, pine needles and of course, my allergies to all things outdoors.
  
  I also had a bad experience with a Christmas tree in high school.  Here is how my mother remembers it:

   Mom: Do you remember the time Cocoa (our 20lbs Siamese cat) got up the Christmas tree and knocked it over? That was so funny!
   Me:  Remember?! The tree fell on top of me and glass balls shattered all around me.  Of course I remember!  pfft. You and Dad had to lift the tree off of me and tie it to the wall to keep it from falling again.

   I reluctantly agreed since we live in a new house this year that we could attempt to get a real live tree, but that he had to clean up the needles and if the dog peed on it, we'd never get one again.  I suggested we sign up to get one from our church and have it delivered to our home - no scratches on the car and voila the hard part is done for you! Adam wanted to pick his own tree out. 
   We ended up going the weekend after Thanksgiving to pick out our tree.  I imagined a cute tradition we could continue for years to come! We'd get a tree from the same place each year!  The first place we went was to Lowes to get a tree stand for said tree.  They had none.  In fact, they didn't even have white indoor Christmas lights.  Fail. 
     This took us to a local plant place.  (Plant place?! Clearly this isn't my forte and the last time I did "landscaping" was when my dad offered me a crisp dollar bill to help pick up pine cones when I was 8 years old.) I went along with it anyway.  They had enormous 10+ ft. trees! They were beautiful! I instantly started talking to one like we were going to be taking it home.  I have no concept of how large things are from outside to inside.  While we do have a high ceiling and could technically have fit a 10ft tree in our house, the base around it would be so large that either our crazy dogs would knock  it down or we'd have to seriously rearrange some furniture, but Adam was willing to get it just so we could have a real tree.  Alas, the plant place had no tree stands either.
   At this point, we're feeling a little defeated.  We know the next place we'll have to go to get a tree stand, lights and a tree.  I contemplate just using our ten year old 6ft pre-lit artificial tree that has an entire strand that is out and is falling apart.  Adam refused, NO! We are getting a real tree.  So, we head to Wal-mart. 
 
  Much like running, every few years I'll attempt a trip to Wal-mart and remember, ten minutes in, "Oh, right. No." Wal-mart is never a good idea.  NEVER.  Target yes, Wal-mart, no. Walmart 3 weeks before Christmas? We were crazy.  We managed to find a tree stand, but not one that could fit the beautiful $100 10ft tree I fell in love with at the plant place and on top of that, Wal-mart didn't have any indoor Christmas lights.  At this point, I said aloud, what Adam must have been thinking, "Can we just get an artificial tree?" Adam finally caved.  
    
   I found a pretty, trim, 9.5ft. pre-lit tree.  I ran over to it, trying to find it on the shelves.  There was a family speaking Spanish that wouldn't move out of the way to let me check the boxes. I took 5 years (cinco anos?)  of Espanol, but "get the f- out of the way" wasn't something they taught me in high school and "perdon" wasn't working.  There was no use, the tree wasn't on the shelves, it was beautiful, it was sparkly, it was... out of stock.  We called over an employee, who may or may not have been high at the time (and who can blame her, she's doing seasonal work at Wal-mart), who just kept saying, "no" to us.  Then I realized, WAIT! We can buy the one on display!!!!!!!!!!  GENIUS!   "No." I'm beginning at this point to remember why I hadn't been in a Wal-mart in two years.  

   FINALLY - we find a man in charge who not only tells us we can buy the "show tree", but we can have 10% off! YES, VICTORY!  Adam left me for a few minutes to go get something else at Wal-mart; I stayed with the tree.  30 minutes later, we were home, with our beautiful artificial tree, which we have named Boris.  

  

  
  Ta Da!  Now that Christmas is over and 2014 has begun, we out Boris away in the attic until next year.  I have a feeling he'll be with us for many more Christmas seasons to come!  And hopefully, we won't have to visit Wal-mart again any time soon.  

    Happy New Year everyone! I have a feeling 2014 is going to be amazing! 

 xoxo, 
  Becca