My Personal Christmas Miracle!

Many of you know that my Rooster has been spending a lot of time at Ocean Shores during the weekdays, working diligently on finishing the Ocean House, as well as completing contracting work he’s gotten there, he’s become very popular.  That leaves me alone to tend to our bird farm at home during the work week.  The few weeks leading up to Christmas were no exception.

At the beginning of December we started discussing when we would go to get our Christmas Tree.  In this homestead we are old school.  There will never be a fake tree gracing these hallowed walls.  We would rather have no tree than a fake tree.  In fact it was a very real possibility that no tree would be the choice in 2023.

There was one important consideration though, one consideration that was more important than the lack of time, the exorbitant cost of a real tree and the hassle of it all.  As the weeks quickly ticked by, filled with shopping, friends, a funeral, annual parties wherein our presence was required……  the reason to get a tree became glaringly apparent.  The grandbabies.  The kids.  The precious 4 year old and barely cognizant 1 year old for whom Christmas is entirely magic.  For them a tree was absolutely necessary.

Inevitably it came to be that we were facing the week before Christmas.  There were many gifts yet to be purchased and wrapped, much decor to be unboxed and set up…. or not.  With one week exactly before the holiday, my Rooster set off to make the drive back to the Ocean once again and an agreement was reached.  On his way home Friday he would pick up a tree, we would decorate it Saturday and be ready with just moments to spare.

But I have this deep psychological problem with Christmas.  Nope, not the obvious one, a different one.

I AM PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF WRAPPING CHRISTMAS GIFTS WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE.

I tried to wrap some gifts on Monday.  I got out the wrapping paper, the ribbons, the name tags.  I pulled out some of the gifts, still ensconced in their shopping bags.  I made an eggnog with rum (of course) and put on Elf, my favorite Christmas gift wrapping movie.

It did not work.

Tuesday at work, a fake tree came across my Facebook feed.  6 feet tall and just $25.00 at Walmart, available for pickup that very afternoon.  I considered it.  I really did.  But that is just not ever going to be an option.

After work I stopped to get the new license tabs for my jeep (only 4 months late, I hadn’t even noticed) and on my way home what did I see?  The Southend Ace Hardware was glowing like Jesus himself was reaching out from inside the store, calling my name.  Ace Hardware had Christmas Trees, it was emblazoned all over their reader board.  I steeled myself as I went through the door, I would not be paying $100 for a tree five days before Christmas, especially with my need to joyously tear it all down on the 26th every year.

I went out back to the garden section and lo and behold there were two different kinds of trees available.  All wrapped up like a Q-tip.  Prices posted said $42 for Douglas Fir and $63 for Noble Pine.  Not that it matters to you much, but I’m a Douglas Fir girl.  $42 was within the acceptable range and I headed to the cashier.  I was going to be able to wrap presents after all.

The cashier rang me up and again things started to glow as she excitedly asked me if I had picked one out.  $22.43 she said.  All Christmas items are 50% starting today!

WHAT?  OMG, this was surely meant to be.  A six foot tall tree for $22.00.  Truth be told I had not picked one out because they were all tied up.  I didn’t want to untie it as it would make it that much harder for me to get it home by myself.

I drove the jeep around the back and met a very helpful Ace worker to choose the tree, a true crapshoot.  An uninterested young man met me and carried the “Chosen One” to the Jeep.  I asked him to put it up on the driver’s side Kayak J hooks.  He threw it up there and walked away.

I thought he was headed to get some twine to tie it on and I called to him as he re-entered the store.  There was no response.

I found myself alone in the dark, the only sound was the heavy traffic whizzing by on Pacific Avenue.

Luckily I am a strong and resourceful woman and I immediately thought of the dock ropes I have under my trunk mat for the kayaks.  I grabbed one and wrapped the center of the tree tightly to the rack, fashioned a sketchy lady knot and shut the remainder of the rope in the passenger side door.  I was 2 miles from home.

Oh boy will my Rooster be so proud of me…. was what was running through my mind as I pulled into traffic on Pacific. That, and a hope against all hope that I had tied the tree on well enough so that the spear that was perched on the rack wouldn’t fly off and go through someone’s windshield on a quick brake or launch off the line.  I never paid attention to how many stop lights are on Pacific until that moment.  I slow rolled down the right lane as angry drivers zipped around me.  As soon as I could I took a left and got myself onto Park Avenue, an arterial that would run me straight to the house.

Park allowed me to go a comfortable 15 mph all the way home without ruining anybody’s Christmas with my deadly cheap tree.  It gave me some time to think about how I was going to get it into the house and into the tree stand alone.  I considered calling one of the friendly neighborhood man friends of ours that lived nearby to help me.  There are at least three I could have called on.  They would have reveled in telling my Rooster how they had assisted me in my damsel in distress moment and earned highly valuable man points with him.  It was the last thing I wanted to do.  I wanted to complete this task all by myself.

I pulled right up onto the front lawn right next to the front door.  Oh man, you have no idea how proud of myself I was at that moment.

The work was far from done.  I went into the house and moved the recliner to a new spot, I put the rocking chair in our bedroom and got out the tree stand.  I loosened the screws and put it in place.

Now for the hard part.  Already I was glistening with sweat but even more determined.

I went back out to the Jeep and untied my poorly planned rope job.  I told myself that if I couldn’t lift it off the J hooks I would give in and call one of the guys.

With a heave at the center it came off into my arms, it wasn’t that heavy.  I was ever thankful that it was tied up like a jousting pole.  I maneuvered it to the front door and gave myself a mental pat on the back that I had been smart enough to prop open the screen door.  In a cloud of needles I got it into the living room and wrestled it into the stand.  The hardest part turned out to be holding it upright and semi-straight while I screwed it in.  Thank the Lord above for the wrap.

I was so very happy and excited to have done it by myself, red faced, covered in sap and needles I sent a stream of pictures and called my Rooster to tell him the story.

While he was proud of me as well, there was measurable disappointment in his voice that he had not been here to help me on the mission. I promised to wait for him to decorate.

Peep (our tomcat) waited patiently while I tied on the tree skirt and I held my breath while I cut the twine holding the branches straight up.  Peep’s favorite winter activity is lying under the Christmas tree.  He thinks it’s so magical when the outside comes inside.

It turned out to be a gorgeous tree and I got some much needed validation in taking care of the task on my own during a time of year that I normally do not love.

It was a true Christmas miracle, one that I will not soon forget.

And yes, I was able to get the presents wrapped, I started in on them that very same night (after I finished doing my own personal happy dance for a while).

Thanks for taking the time to read my holiday story post holidays.

Happy New Year to all of you!

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