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Whether it's Christmas, Channukah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus you're celebrating, this is a season that's chock full of tradition for most of us. Here in my household, we have a little tradition of our own. Every December, when the TV networks start advertising Charlie Brown specials and Rudolph claymation, and my friendly neighborhood Safeway begins providing my grocery shopping with a steady soundtrack of holiday hits, I start dreaming about a Christmas tree. I'll spend a week, maybe two, slowing down every time I drive by those ubiquitous tree lots that suddenly pop up after each Thanksgiving. I'll mentally rearrange my too-cramped nest to try and make room for a proper tree, knowing the whole while that it's an impossible task. One Sunday morning, the holiday spirit will prove too strong, and I'll drag my boy to Home Depot, under the guise of needing some essential for the house. My ulterior motive, of course, is to steer the boy towards the rows and rows of Christmas trees that I know will be sitting in the parking lot. I'll wheedle him into taking a peek, balk at the price, make wistful comments about how nice it would be if we had room for a big tree that stretched all the way to the ceiling. He'll humor me by nodding. And then he'll gently guides me towards the section where they keep the cheap two-foot potted evergreens, where we'll promptly proceed to pick out the least scraggly of the offerings and tote it to the cash register. By now, of course, we know this ritual well. I used to actually hope that my ever-practical sweetie would miraculously agree with me that despite the fact that we'd again be spending Christmas away from Tucson, it would be a brilliant idea to spend $30 on a tree we'd barely get to enjoy before flying out east to see the families. This year, however, I've finally conceded that for us, buying a six-foot tall tree makes no sense. Still, I absolutely refuse to let my tree-deprived state deter me from decking my halls and bringing on the holiday cheer. Finding you're similarly treeless this Christmas season? Check out these alternative ideas for bringing the holiday spirit into your home… go green
– without the big tree ---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home. |