I got home today and the Christmas tree was already put up. Helene had gone up to the attic and pulled down the box and put the pieces together for this year’s presentation. We have had a fake tree now for the last 5 years. I used to enjoy going out with the family when the kids were young and cutting the Christmas tree down. A little hot chocolate and then the decorating, with the ornaments that we have bought and received over the years. It was always a special event. As the kids grew older, they were no longer around for the cutting day, so I started buying a tree that was already cut. That lasted a few years and it worked out well.
Then came the year which was the last time I purchased a live tree. That was 6 years ago. I had stopped and purchased a tree that was wrapped tightly in a nylon mesh. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I thought this was the best thing that I could have ever done. It would be so easy to transport and even better when I was able to get it in the house and set it up in the base with relative ease. It would be tight and secure in the base and I would then be able to cut the nylon mesh and the tree branches would fall down gently into place. This year, the job would be a piece of cake.
Well I followed every detail that I had meticulously planned out ahead of time and everything worked flawlessly. Except for one little detail, when I cut the nylon mesh and the branches sprung out into place, it released a few mice that had settled in the tree for their long winters nap. There were three of them to be exact and when they hit the floor and scattered, so started the screaming from Helene. We have a cat named Sylvester and he had one in his paws faster than Helene was able to jump on the couch.
It took a broom to whack another one that was still running around in the living room. Like a solid hit to first base, it was over. The last one was a bit more of a challenge. Sylvester had initially lost sight of him and it ran into the bedroom, we picked up the cat and brought him into the kitchen where he actually started to work like a bird dog. He found it a short time later in the bedroom and the last mouse was found and removed from the house.
It was a few weeks after Christmas that season when all the holiday items are on sale that I came home one day to find a brand new “Faux” Tree that we have had ever since. Sylvester still looks at the tree every year when it first gets put up waiting for his early presents. Tonight was no different except for the memory and laughs.
Then came the year which was the last time I purchased a live tree. That was 6 years ago. I had stopped and purchased a tree that was wrapped tightly in a nylon mesh. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I thought this was the best thing that I could have ever done. It would be so easy to transport and even better when I was able to get it in the house and set it up in the base with relative ease. It would be tight and secure in the base and I would then be able to cut the nylon mesh and the tree branches would fall down gently into place. This year, the job would be a piece of cake.
Well I followed every detail that I had meticulously planned out ahead of time and everything worked flawlessly. Except for one little detail, when I cut the nylon mesh and the branches sprung out into place, it released a few mice that had settled in the tree for their long winters nap. There were three of them to be exact and when they hit the floor and scattered, so started the screaming from Helene. We have a cat named Sylvester and he had one in his paws faster than Helene was able to jump on the couch.
It took a broom to whack another one that was still running around in the living room. Like a solid hit to first base, it was over. The last one was a bit more of a challenge. Sylvester had initially lost sight of him and it ran into the bedroom, we picked up the cat and brought him into the kitchen where he actually started to work like a bird dog. He found it a short time later in the bedroom and the last mouse was found and removed from the house.
It was a few weeks after Christmas that season when all the holiday items are on sale that I came home one day to find a brand new “Faux” Tree that we have had ever since. Sylvester still looks at the tree every year when it first gets put up waiting for his early presents. Tonight was no different except for the memory and laughs.
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