Woe is Me, I Said to the Tree

Just a little tale from this evening's Fir Tree adventure (luckily, no cameras were involved). Never one to have a modest, nor simple tree, I always opt for the one that is Clark Griswold size, regardless of the space I am fitting it in. So, I drove home with the tree poking me in the back of the head, unable to see out of the rear or passenger side mirrors. I could have had it strapped to the top of my car, which is what I've done ever since I made the mistake of putting it inside. I'm still finding pine needles from trees long since past!

And just because I am stubborn (me?), and had a few other bits and bobs to grab from the store, I had the ever-so-kind lad struggle to squeeze a just over 8ft tree inside my car. Yes, I've just condemned my car to a lifetime supply of dried up fir needles.

Arriving home, to an empty house (four legged critters aren't much help in cases like this) - do I attempt to bring it in on my own, or leave it in the car overnight? I'm certain you already know the answer to this. Once I dragged it out of the back of the car and it was on the ground, there was no turning back. That tree was coming up those 20 or so steps with me, one way or another. Two steps at a time. Wow. I think I might have passed out and not even known. Where did my pulse go? I somehow became Wonder Woman for a brief moment in time.

I decided I really should turn the outside light off. Pulling an 8ft+ tree up a flight of stairs in the dark is most definitely the safest thing to do (especially when you could be seen by passer-byes!) Getting it up the stairs was only half the battle, now it was trying to turn it to get it through the door. I prevailed! Sap in my hair, sap on the cat, bruised thumbs - now all I have to do is get it in the stand. Oh, darn. It doesn't fit. The trunk is too big.

I'd never had this problem before. Did i just purchase a mutant tree? Not giving up just yet. Back in the car, back to the store. I am now the proud owner of tree stand for "husky" trees. Yay! It fits! But...there is one low hanging branch preventing me from getting it in the stand properly. Let me put one of those Henckels knives to good use. Twenty minutes later I realised that knives do not make good saws, no matter how sharp they are! But again, I eventually won.

The tree is in the stand, and upright! I didn't say it was straight - but I'll save that 'til morn.

If only I'd opted for the smaller, modest tree, hehe =)

I'll post photos this weekend once she is decorated in gleaming orbs of silver and red (and a bit of peppermint swirl), and sparkling with thousands of lights =)

xo