I just took down the Christmas tree.  Counting the time it took to pluck the ornaments off and drop them into a bag, the whole process took less than ten minutes.  That’s my kind of Christmas tree!!!

Long ago I was a tree snob.  Only real trees would do.  And they had to be big.  And you had to leave them up for months.

But a few years ago I bought a 4-foot pre-lighted tree, and it’s been the best thing to come into my life in a long time!!!  Last year it sat on an entry table out of reach of little hands.  This year it was cable-tied to a milk crate, and the children decorated it.

When we’re done with it, we cram it back into its original box, tape it shut, and wonder why we didn’t think of this idea a lot sooner.

If we ever live in a bigger house, I’ll probably go for the idea of getting a huge live tree and making a big deal out of it.  But for now, I’m so happy with my 4-foot, artificial, arboreal friend.