The Perfect Tree

The Christmas season is officially here. You now can blast Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas" without judgement...well with less judgement. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is picking out and putting up the tree. I don't know why but there is something I just love about this. First, I am all about real trees. When I lived in an apartment we were not allowed to have real trees which I hated but I bought a pine scented candle and pretended it was real. Now that I can have a real tree it is crucial that I pick the right one. Not too tall but not too short. Not too skinny but not too fat. It needs to have strong enough branches to hold the ornaments and support my cat. All this being considered I don't want it too perfect. It needs to have character and personality. There is something to be said about the "Charley Brown Christmas Tree." After being in the Garden Center this Holiday season I have noticed that everyone has their own process of picking out the "perfect" tree. Some walk around it again and again. Some go back and forth between flocked trees and natural trees. Others pace the aisles slowly eliminating certain ones until they come to last 2. This is where it gets difficult. They are so similar yet so different. They will walk back and forth between the last 2 trees. Committing can be so hard. Finally, a decision is made! They walk up to the counter with unwavering satisfaction. Now picking out the right tree is not the end. It must be decorated. What color lights? How many ornaments. Even for those that decorate their tree the same every year there are choices. Where exactly do the ornaments go? Who gets to put which ones on? But in the end, no matter which tree we choose, how many ornaments we put on, real or artificial, we all take a few steps back tilt or head side to side, move back in for one last ornament adjustment, and then finally make that nod of approval. Enjoy this process. It is that rare time, in our busy lives, that family and friends come together and create something beautiful. Make