This Time Last Year

It was on this day last year that I had the brilliant idea to hand remove all of the lights from our pre-lit Christmas tree because one string of lights was out.  It took hours of dedication.  My partner sat and watched Alias with me while I worked on the tree.  He swore he wasn't going to help and I must have been a touch crazy.  He may have been right.

It was almost better that I worked alone.  I had something to focus all of my attention on.  I needed something to focus on.  It needed to get done!  Christmas was right around the corner, and still we had no baby!  I was beginning to think if I waited to decorate for Christmas until after the baby arrived, we just wouldn't have Christmas at all!  it was frustrating, and I was starting to get to that point of being tired of waiting.

So I worked for endless hours, popping off the little plastic loops that held the lights to their branches, watching small bits of needles fall to the floor.  My fingers ached, but I was determined.  Each break was met with this sudden, overpowering desire to get right up and keep on working.  It's what kept me going.

Looking back a year later, I really think a little bit of craziness must have gotten into me.  What else could it have been?  I know if we ever have another Christmas tree like that, I'll get the same crazy idea in my head when I notice one string of lights is out.  It will be right back to that craziness, or the wasteful act of tossing the tree and getting a new one.

The more I think about it, the more I want to get a real tree next year.  On top of the wonderful smell and the lovely look, they're much more sustainable.  They can be composted or recycled, which is pretty much composting or mulching at that.  After all, that's what the recycling company is going to do.  They're wonderful, sustainable, and the lights go on and off every year, so I can know before they ever hit the tree if we have a problem!  No more worries of un-lighting the tree just so I can dress it up with lights again!