![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
O Christmas Tree
This year, I have realized much more then in years past how many of my friends do not celebrate Christmas. At least 40% don't at all. Crazy. So, as I am a firm believer that Christmas can be a secular time of joy, giving, and enjoyment of the little things - like the transition to winter - I decided this year to invite anyone and everyone to join me in my Christmas activities and celebrations. (Side note, my partner falls into this category of never celebrating Christmas and generally having no idea of how one would go about doing so - so there is an added incentive there)
This led me the other weekend to take three Christmas newbies to choose a Christmas tree! Now, I wanted to do this right, but not scare them away, so I selected a cut-your-own tree farm still within town limits. Not a big time commitment, or an excellent selection, but still the experience of selecting and killing a tree. That said, they almost bailed on me about five seconds after they opened their doors and stepped into the snow - there was a nice thick layer of mud underneath (thanks global climate change!). After some hasty convincing, we actually approached the woman looking to greet us. She indicated where the saws and sleds (sleds to carry the tree - what luxury!) were, where we were to go, and the rules. I'm pretty sure the guys absorbed none of this, they were still taking in the sights and the pole full of saws.
When talking about this trip with them in the days leading up to it, it was clear there was some anxiety about actually cutting down the tree. I assured them I was comfortable doing it myself as long as one of them would hold it. This seemed satisfactory to them, so I assumed this was how it would proceed. Imagine my surprised when I selected a saw, stepped out of the way, and two of the guys went to grab saws too. I tried to convince them that one one saw was necessary and they were welcome to carry it, but to no avail. So, we ended up with four of us, 2 saws, and one sled.
I don't know about you, but when I select a Christmas tree it is a high energy event going from tree to tree, almost never going back, and always calling back and forth with others. I'm pretty sure after two minutes two of the guys gave up on seeing the differences between the trees and just wanted us to decide on one close by. Meanwhile, I was showing them how different the needles can be on them, how important shape can be, and how to tell a healthy tree from a struggling one. All knowledge I never really knew I had. There is something to be said with sharing these sorts of things with someone from a different culture - you never really realize how much knowledge you have just internalized and assume it is common until you try to share it with someone.
In the end, we got a small, cute, Charlie Brownish tree (though by that point I was too tired to explain the reference). I managed to secure it to the car (thank you Dad for that skill!) to the satisfaction of the driver. We left the tree farm over an hour later, full of free hot cider, and with the guys excited enough about the tree to want to purchase ornaments for it themselves. Definitely a good Christmas memory to add to my collection :)
Putting (and keeping) the tree up was an entirely different story . . .
This led me the other weekend to take three Christmas newbies to choose a Christmas tree! Now, I wanted to do this right, but not scare them away, so I selected a cut-your-own tree farm still within town limits. Not a big time commitment, or an excellent selection, but still the experience of selecting and killing a tree. That said, they almost bailed on me about five seconds after they opened their doors and stepped into the snow - there was a nice thick layer of mud underneath (thanks global climate change!). After some hasty convincing, we actually approached the woman looking to greet us. She indicated where the saws and sleds (sleds to carry the tree - what luxury!) were, where we were to go, and the rules. I'm pretty sure the guys absorbed none of this, they were still taking in the sights and the pole full of saws.
When talking about this trip with them in the days leading up to it, it was clear there was some anxiety about actually cutting down the tree. I assured them I was comfortable doing it myself as long as one of them would hold it. This seemed satisfactory to them, so I assumed this was how it would proceed. Imagine my surprised when I selected a saw, stepped out of the way, and two of the guys went to grab saws too. I tried to convince them that one one saw was necessary and they were welcome to carry it, but to no avail. So, we ended up with four of us, 2 saws, and one sled.
I don't know about you, but when I select a Christmas tree it is a high energy event going from tree to tree, almost never going back, and always calling back and forth with others. I'm pretty sure after two minutes two of the guys gave up on seeing the differences between the trees and just wanted us to decide on one close by. Meanwhile, I was showing them how different the needles can be on them, how important shape can be, and how to tell a healthy tree from a struggling one. All knowledge I never really knew I had. There is something to be said with sharing these sorts of things with someone from a different culture - you never really realize how much knowledge you have just internalized and assume it is common until you try to share it with someone.
In the end, we got a small, cute, Charlie Brownish tree (though by that point I was too tired to explain the reference). I managed to secure it to the car (thank you Dad for that skill!) to the satisfaction of the driver. We left the tree farm over an hour later, full of free hot cider, and with the guys excited enough about the tree to want to purchase ornaments for it themselves. Definitely a good Christmas memory to add to my collection :)
Putting (and keeping) the tree up was an entirely different story . . .