my wife insists we have a Christmas tree every year

in days gone by it was always a real tree

purchased and hauled home on the roof of the car

I always had to re cut the base of the trunk

and set it in a stand with water to keep it alive

then the decorating started

beads, ornaments and lights added

re-arranged at least five times and then again a few days later

the glass ornament on the top carefully removed from storage

frequently it fell off and smashed so had to be replaced

a bright red skirt around the base

boxed presents piled around the tree

even if they were fake boxes for effect

after Christmas was over all the tree decorations were carefully removed

and the glass top was occasionally broken again before reaching storage

then the tree was hauled outside for disposal

leaving a trail of green needles all over the floor

which resisted all attempts to vacuum them up

we would still find those needles a year later

finally we broke the real tree ritual when we had Christmas in a small condo

no more massive real trees so we switched to a pre-made fake tree

we started with a four foot fake green tree

that only lasted a couple of years

before being replaced with a tall white fake tree adorned with blue balls

she even added extra blue lighting

the fake white tree looks really cute

it even sheds fake white needles

which resist all attempts to vacuum them up

I am dreaming of a white Christmas (tree)

and the never ending trails of fake white needles