Real vs. Fake

I have never in my life had a fake Christmas tree. Even while I lived in Chile, and Christmas is celebrated under the hot summer sun, I still sought out the local tree lot and bought a tree.

Since marrying Aaron in 1998, the tree has been a huge undertaking to begin the holiday season. Our first year together I had visions of a romantic, quaint holiday celebrating our first Christmas together. Instead, I saw Aaron mad for the first time. I hadn't realized that it was the first Christmas tree he had ever been "in charge of" and while doing all he could to get the tree up our blasted, crappy, plastic stand, it was more than he signed up for. That's when I heard the first swear uttered from Aaron's lips.

Often we have gone to cut our own tree in the forest. Usually, near the Williams family cabin in Smith's Ferry, ID. Those trees are tall, with branches a bit on the sparse side, and magnificent, if you have the right ceilings. Which, lucky for me, I had homes with vaulted ceilings from 1999-2007. Perfect for a fresh tree from the forest.

Then there was the tree of 2008. Remembered by me as the grand finale of the worst week ever. Since moving to our present home, we no longer enjoy the luxury of vaulted ceilings nor what I like to call "the Christmas Tree Room", so those enormous forest trees are not suited quite so well. We have gone the Costco route for the past 3 years. Unfortunately, in 2008 the tree stand we had just wasn't man enough for our tree. It fell over the first night we set it up, but luckily we hadn't decorated it yet. Later that week, while Aaron was enjoying a week away at an Arizona Suns game with his generously cool friend Nate, I was in Boise with the kids, working, with a sinus infection, in charge of the ward Christmas program, and when I came home from the doctor I found the tree on it's side AGAIN - ornaments shattered everywhere.
That's all I want to say about that year. Moving on...

2010 - I bought our tree at Costco 2 nights ago. It is a Noble Fir, but at Costco you can't see what the tree looks like when you buy it because it's still wrapped in twine. You just trust that Costco is known for good products and hope they have pre-screened all trees before allowing them on their lot.
Plus, you can't beat the price.
The kids and I chose the one with the straightest top. Had them toss it on top of the Sequoia and headed home. I picked up Pappy on the way, to help me get it off the top. (This is what happens now that Aaron is working at the Bogus Basin ticket office full time. I have to bug my dad a lot more often.)
This morning Aaron and I hauled it in and stood it up in the stand.
(Note - NOT the same stand as 1998 or 2008.)
It looked like the letter C, or a bow without the line and arrow. "Hmmmm. This better straighten out when I take the twine off."
After letting the snow melt off and dry out a bit I removed the twine to find a WHOLE FOREST'S WORTH of PINE NEEDLES! I don't even know where they came from. They were just tucked in the branches - brown and dead. Keep in mind this is a LIVE tree that is green and recently cut. It must have lived below a dead tree that had been shedding it's needles below for ages. NOT FUN! I ended up vacuuming, sweeping and vacuuming again and again for TWO HOURS. Yes, you read right - I had to vacuum my Christmas tree. All this before I even hang the lights.I filled an entire tall kitchen bag full of dead pine needles and went through 3 hand held vacuum bags.

While watching Aaron and I stand up the tree this morning I asked the kids if they know the meaning of the Christmas tree and what it symbolizes.
Boys repied, "No."
Brooklyn sweetly states, "Eternal life. But wouldn't a fake tree be a better symbol because it will last forever and this tree will die? In fact, now that it's cut, it's already dead."

So I've now invested approximately 4 hours into this dead tree, and it's not even decorated. Should I watch the day after Christmas sales for a fake tree for next year?