This year, my partner and I decided to forgo having a live Christmas tree in favor of having one of the artificial trees that look fairly decent. We thought of the usual reasons, such as needles in the carpeting. However, we’ve decided that we no longer will have a live tree for other reasons. Join me after the jump.
First, a little background.
I grew up with a Baptist and Methodist background. I now consider myself an agnostic. Basically, I take this to mean that I am fine with whatever anyone else wants to believe but don't cram it down my throat.
My partner is Wiccan. However, we both like the Christmas holiday and still give everyone (most family members) gifts, as well as gifts to each other. He just calls them Yule gifts to his Wiccan friends.
Anyway, back to why we're not having a live tree.
I had an occasion to go to my local supermarket on Christmas Eve, to get a few last minute groceries. It was about 9:30 at night. Near the entrance were a few dried-up looking pines that probably looked grand around Thanksgiving when they were cut, but at this late date, they looked destined for the nearest trash bin.
Now call me too sensitive, or whatever you want to call me, but I found myself getting misty-eyed. Then, a single tear fell down my cheek as I stood there, looking at the forlorn trees. It was my Charlie Brown moment. Just think, these trees spent several years trying to grow their best, only to be cut down for their grown purpose as Christmas trees – to be retailed and sold at your local supermarket – and these trees didn't even get to do that. They were wasted.
Today, I went to a local park here in the Dallas suburbs near my office to eat my lunch.
This park usually is a nice place to relax for an hour and forget the cubicle world in the office towers nearby. This time, however, I noticed that someone had dumped their used Christmas tree there, and I thought, ya know – even the trees that got to be real Christmas trees just get dumped after the holiday – several years of life just to get used and dumped.
I called my partner and we agreed, no more live Christmas trees for sure.
I called my brother and told him of our decision. He was furious! "People do this every year – why buck tradition," he said. He just won't see what I see.
This is a turning point for me, and us. Have any of you also come to this conclusion, that real trees are just not worth it from a LIFE standpoint, never mind the other hassles? I have people in my family laughing at me about this, so I’d care to hear what you have to say, even if it's negative.
BlueInARedState