NEWLYWED'S FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE

It was a good time in life, still newlyweds, both doing little things for each other. We were carefree, with no children, no huge debts or aches and pains. We were invincible. Our looks were important to us, we were in shape and being healthy was cool.

My husband and I lived in a small apartment in California, far away from any of our families. I left my family from the beautiful state of Washington and his from Wisconsin. He was in the service and stationed at Camp Pendleton.

It was our first Christmas together, just the two of us. We had set up a space in our little apartment for the Christmas tree. Now was the time to search out for that perfect tree.

We lived in a small retirement town. Everything seemed more expensive. Even for back then, in the good old days. We were on a budget, which made it harder to find that perfect tree.

We went from one tree lot to the next. The more we looked, the more disappointed we became.

After searching for what seemed like hours and the last tree lot in town. A young man working on the lot came over to us. He said that he was secretly pocketing some money on the side. He offered us a nice looking tree that had a $25 tag on it for $1. It wasn’t until we moved the tree to our car, that we noticed it was very sparse in the back.

Once in the apartment, we placed it in the corner. It was our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. After we had decorated it, you would have never known that it was branch less in the back. It was perfect! Just like in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It turned out to be one of our best Christmas trees ever.

CHRISTMAS TREE MEMORIES

When I was a little girl, my family would drive out into the country where we would cut our own Christmas tree. Once we were there, it became a long process. My father was a perfectionist and was quite picky. It couldn’t be just any tree. It had to be the best one out there. We would search for what seems like hours. I would watch people come after we did and leave long before, with their non-perfect tree. Often we would return to where we first started, my father saying, “I guess, this one will have to do!” with the disappointment ringing from his voice.

After this entire ordeal, we would drink hot cocoa and take the hay ride that was offered on farm. The hot cocoa was so warming after spending a good deal of the day searching for that perfect tree. Our legs were so tired, that the squares of hay, which we sat on felt more, like a cushion of feathers.

Sometime in my teenage years, we bought our first artificial tree. From there my parents never went back to the real thing.

I couldn’t help but sense my dad’s disappointment of not going back to the tree farm those first few years with the artificial one.

I often look back at those days. It was more than looking for a Christmas tree. It was our family tradition.