As some of you know, Christmas is the best time of year in the Gambit household and the selection and decoration of our real Christmas tree is one of the highlights of the season. My wife and I have been married for nearly 5 decades and we have never had an artificial tree. If it was only up to me, we never will, but a few days ago, because my wife has had some knee issues, and tramping around the tree farm with me in search of the perfect tree might not be the best idea, I said "Honey, do you think it's time for an artificial tree?" She replied, "You took stupid pills this morning, didn't you?" I knew she was kidding. I mean, I don't need pills to be stupid, but her message was clear. I followed up by asking "But what about your knee? All that stomping around the fields might not be good for you." She replied "I won't be stomping, you will". Now, if you knew my wife, you would know that all of this was tongue in cheek, but she made it clear we would continue our real tree tradition.
That said, this past Saturday, December 19th (a day later than last year), we headed to Beaver County in search of the perfect tree. Typically we pick one that is 9-12 feet tall (last year it was 10.5), but this year my wife asked if we could down size a bit. We share the decorating (she does the lights and I do the ornaments) but because her knee problems limit her ability to climb a ladder, she suggested a 6 foot tree and I agreed. On the way to the farm, she reaffirmed our small tree commitment saying "I'm really glad we're getting a smaller tree this year. 6 foot is perfect. We can get a big one again next year". I agreed.
So...we get to the farm and we suited up for our journey into the fields. We got there about 9 AM and fortunately no one else was in the parking lot. Most people already have their trees up (many since Thanksgiving), but then most people take them down the 1st week of January, not February or March like the Gambits. Still, we had our masks at the ready. As we approached one of the masked workers, he suggested we might want to look at the trees in the barn which were just cut yesterday by the owner and were near perfect in shape. My wife agreed. I was a bit disappointed, because I like the manly art of cutting down my own tree, but she said, if they were just cut, why not at least look, and so we did. As we entered the barn one thing was clear. Every tree was about 10 feet tall. I started to tell the worker we were looking for a 6 footer when my wife said "I like this one." I looked at it and it was magnificent, a Blue Spruce, but easily 10 foot or more. I said "Honey, you wanted a 6 footer", but the worker chimed in "we can cut some off the bottom" and my wife said "It's perfect. Let's take this one." So....we did. They did cut a foot off the bottom, and it's still 10 feet tall, but it is, perhaps, as beautiful a tree as we have ever had. We brought it home, put in in water in the garage to acclimate it, and today, after taking another 6 inches off the bottom, brought in into the house. Unlike so many other years, this one was made straight in the stand in less than 10 minutes. Tonight the real fun begins. The lights go on and tomorrow, the ornaments.
There are few things my wife and I enjoy more than decorating a Christmas tree and this one, because of it's exceptional beauty, will be a real challenge. It almost needs no ornamentation and the pine smell is incredible.
Our rule is the tree must come down before the 1st day of Lent. In 2021, that will be February 17th, so we have 8 weeks to love and enjoy this gift of nature. Some day I hope to share a photo of our tree, but as I said last year, my wife gets paranoid about it. She thinks someone will recognize it and will say to their spouse "Honey, I just realized that Crazy Gambit on the McAndrew Board is our neighbor". 😊
Merry Christmas to all and may God Bless us, every one. 🎄
That said, this past Saturday, December 19th (a day later than last year), we headed to Beaver County in search of the perfect tree. Typically we pick one that is 9-12 feet tall (last year it was 10.5), but this year my wife asked if we could down size a bit. We share the decorating (she does the lights and I do the ornaments) but because her knee problems limit her ability to climb a ladder, she suggested a 6 foot tree and I agreed. On the way to the farm, she reaffirmed our small tree commitment saying "I'm really glad we're getting a smaller tree this year. 6 foot is perfect. We can get a big one again next year". I agreed.
So...we get to the farm and we suited up for our journey into the fields. We got there about 9 AM and fortunately no one else was in the parking lot. Most people already have their trees up (many since Thanksgiving), but then most people take them down the 1st week of January, not February or March like the Gambits. Still, we had our masks at the ready. As we approached one of the masked workers, he suggested we might want to look at the trees in the barn which were just cut yesterday by the owner and were near perfect in shape. My wife agreed. I was a bit disappointed, because I like the manly art of cutting down my own tree, but she said, if they were just cut, why not at least look, and so we did. As we entered the barn one thing was clear. Every tree was about 10 feet tall. I started to tell the worker we were looking for a 6 footer when my wife said "I like this one." I looked at it and it was magnificent, a Blue Spruce, but easily 10 foot or more. I said "Honey, you wanted a 6 footer", but the worker chimed in "we can cut some off the bottom" and my wife said "It's perfect. Let's take this one." So....we did. They did cut a foot off the bottom, and it's still 10 feet tall, but it is, perhaps, as beautiful a tree as we have ever had. We brought it home, put in in water in the garage to acclimate it, and today, after taking another 6 inches off the bottom, brought in into the house. Unlike so many other years, this one was made straight in the stand in less than 10 minutes. Tonight the real fun begins. The lights go on and tomorrow, the ornaments.
There are few things my wife and I enjoy more than decorating a Christmas tree and this one, because of it's exceptional beauty, will be a real challenge. It almost needs no ornamentation and the pine smell is incredible.
Our rule is the tree must come down before the 1st day of Lent. In 2021, that will be February 17th, so we have 8 weeks to love and enjoy this gift of nature. Some day I hope to share a photo of our tree, but as I said last year, my wife gets paranoid about it. She thinks someone will recognize it and will say to their spouse "Honey, I just realized that Crazy Gambit on the McAndrew Board is our neighbor". 😊
Merry Christmas to all and may God Bless us, every one. 🎄
