Christmas tree?

[Cinderella]

Our neighbors surprised us with a Christmas tree! It's a douglas fir and smells really nice. Took three strands of lights which they donated and also 15 ornaments which they also donated. Plus an angel tree topper also donated. I'll take it! It's color lights which makes up for the sparse ornament decorations but I guess beggers can't be choosers right? These are the gifts that fill our hearts, lift our spirits and make life better.

I was a little concerned about having a real Christmas tree because the tree hugger in me says it's unnecessary murder but my progressive hippy Oregon neighbor made me feel better about it. As she donated a strand of lights and ornaments to us she told me, "These trees know this is their purpose in life and that they are raised for this sacrifice to come into our homes, be decorated, and make our lives a little bit better. They are alright with being celebrated." She is a landscape architect and talks with the plants. She told me as I'm decorating it to thank it for making my home beautiful.

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[moonlight]

They gave you the tree?? Amazing!!!!

[v-girl]

It's so pretty! What a sweet neighbor!

[diggitydot]

If it makes your hippy heart feel any better, the saplings that will be planted on the tree farm to replace the one in your living room will put out FAR more oxygen and clean a lot more CO2 out of the air than an older tree. Also, it helps employ people in rural communities.

My grandpa was a logger. I can reconcile it with my crazy hippy-ness, too.

[alison]

We have white lights and red or wooden ornaments.

Go to Germany and you'll see how it's really supposed to be done! With candles! Burning candles IN your house adorning a dry tree. You might burn your house down, but you're doing Christmas the way it's supposed to be done.

[Sheherezade]

My thesis advisors had the tree candles. They had lived in Germany at Max Planck for years. Every Christmas, the wife would light the candles for a half an hour while the husband sat by with a fire extinguisher. The spirit of Christmas compromise, I guess!

[Cinderella]

One more year and I would have been born in Germany like my two older brothers on the military base. My Mom talks about the German Christmas trees with candles too. They lived off base and rented to German landlords who were in the same building. She still has some ornaments and wooden Christmas items from Germany like the little smoking figures. I'll have to get her to send some picture of them to me so I can show you what I mean. Last year when she came to visit me we went to TJ Maxx and she was so surprised at some of the wooden Christmas decorations that remind her of when her and Dad were stationed in Germany during the Army. My Dad's parents visited them while they were in Germany and they went to Newuschwanstein's Castle. Grandma told me that was when you could still sit on the bed. I inherited some really old German figurines like this, Link, that my Grandma got on their visit to Germany.

My neighbors must like all the cookies I've been baking and giving them lately. They really are sweet neighbors and we have a lot of fun around the holidays. The ones that gave us the Christmas tree is the Apartment Manager my husband went and checked on when she sent her daughter for aspirin because she thought she was having a heart attack. Then I stayed the whole day and helped the daughter decorate since they just got their tree while their mother rested.

Now that I think about it I've been getting present all month like one neighbor brought us a bread maker because she heard I baked a lot of cookies, and two other neighbors and one coworker gave us ornaments and lights. Another person at my work yesterday gave me this big comfortable warm winter coat with a zip in fleece and then that night we got the Christmas tree! I feel so blessed and loved really and full of Christmas spirit!

[moonlight]

I gave away some little baby toys today to a couple moms in my area. One of them told me they were really struggling this year and appreciated it. It honestly feels wonderful to give. More than to receive sometimes.

[alison]

Lights are a much safer substitute for candles. . But there's something to be said about the way candlelight looks in the trees. Scary as hell though. My in laws have a bucket of water near the tree when it's lit, just in case. They also get a 10' tree every year which is crazy to me. My mil uses a ladder to decorate the tree and she uses wire to affix the lights (just like American lights) to each branch so that they aren't just strung along willy nilly. She runs the lights along every branch. Nuts!

[MrsSz]

It will be even better when he is 16.

And you introduce him to the future girlfriend... "Oh it's so nice to meet you future girlfriend. This... Is... Thomas"

Bahaha