I haven't put up a Christmas tree in a long time. Sure, Christmas trees are pretty to look at, but the way I look at it Christmas is more than a tree. It's the birth of Jesus, my family and friends, and a nice warm place to stay. That's what Christmas means to me.

Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches,is not  that the way the song goes? It is true though it dosen't quite feel right with out a Christmas Tree. It is something the family usually enjoys putting up, although I can testify to "other" times, when the trunk dosen't fit the right way, (I like real tress). I am way too lazy and confused, prouably do to (inhaling) the funny stuff, back in the day. But seriously, I really do love a real tree, and cannot envision having to deal with 100-400 sticks, to create a tree. Not my idea of fun, as far as getting rid of the real tree, they sell big bags, with some skill you can manage to prouably manage to cut down on at least 1000 needles, considering you will have thousands more on your floor, a good broom will help, until May of the following year, when you will still see them in the crevices of your floors. But, for the month there is nothing like coming in and smelling that nice balsam scent.

We do not have to worry because we are one of those who do not get a real tree every year. we just haul the fake one out of the basement every year and decorate that one. I know some people have real trees every year and okay to them. I am okay with the fake one. the money we seem to have invested in is we each one of us get a new ornamant every year. this year we went to Bronners in Frankenmuth a big christmas decoration store in Michigan. I enjoy the ornaments more than the tree anyway and there are some nice memories of when we got some certain ornaments.  sometimes we even wait until after Christmas when the real expensive ones go on sale for half off. anyway, what tree to get real or artificial is ones own choice.

One of my very dear friend is a single mom with a teenage daughter. They are not poor, but somewhat needy. I try to give her food and clothes and she is always very greatful and humble about it. It's very sad. Somehow good people always suffer the most.

You can't get a tree? How blessed you are. I still haven't figured out how to keep those damn needles from falling off when I take the tree out after new year.

Get a chainsaw and cut down one from your neighbor's yard.

Growing up, we always had a tree. But I remember this one year when we were still buying real trees and we ended up with one with a crooked trunk. No matter what we did we couldn't get it to stand up straight. My mother finally got so frustrated with it she took some string, tied it around the middle and tacked it to the wall. The next year we had one of those freaky silver things with a color wheel which, if you think of it, might be considered just as tacky in its own right.

I didn't experience this but my parents did. When they were first married, they were so poor that they couldn't afford a tree for their first Christmas together. Fortunately, a good samaritan gave them one.