O Tannenbaum

This year, we got our tree earlier than ever--the weekend after Thanksgiving. Our tradition is to pick out a tree from Taylor's Do-It Center ($9.99 and up in years past). We eschew the fancier, glitchier places that spring up near churches (Holy Family or Wave) and use the significant savings to treat ourselves to lunch at Tijuana Flats (home of "Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally" hot sauce). This year was perfect--a beautiful tree, some new lights, delicious chimichangas and ghost pepper hot sauce. We cut the base off the trunk bottom, mixed a solution designed to preserve the tree's vibrancy and set it up. This year, the tree absorbed the water, so we diligently monitored the water level. All to no avail. Within two weeks, the tree browned. I went ahead and strung some lovely lights. Every contact, brush against the limbs and branches yielded a shower of needles, a sound like hail.

So this year we didn't get to the part where ornaments went on the tree.  Die Bletter weren't too grün. But that's ok.

I saw a devotional that reminds that the One whose birth we celebrate with a tree now, set his face like a flint toward Jerusalem and another tree. Thank you, Jesus!