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LeeAnna asks

 Real Christmas Tree or Artificial Christmas Tree?

REAL!  All the way!  I love the scent of a pine tree.  It makes Christmas special to have some nature in our home!  I vividly remember when my Mom bought an artificial tree when I was a child.  I was SO disappointed.  They were so ugly back then!  I vowed I would never have one.  

 I also remember the year my Dad brought me a real tree he cut down at our cottage.  It might have been my first year in an apartment on my own.  It wasn't a big tree but since I didn't have any ornaments that was okay.  I decorated it with balloons!  Amazing they didn't pop.

For most of our married life, we have gone to tree farms to cut down our own Christmas tree.  It has been such a lovely tradition.  Unfortunately, the tree farms around here no longer grow Scotch pine so we have resorted to buying our tree from the Boy Scouts.  

Our tree is up and it has its lights on it.  Tomorrow the whole family will gather to decorate it.  I will fill the dining table with yummy food so we can eat and decorate.  It is a casual affair as easygoing is my speed.  This is one of my favourite things to do with the family at Christmas.  I love how the grandkids decorate the bottom of the tree, as far as they can reach.  I love that my tall sons share the honour of putting the angel on the top every year.

I like seeing all the ornaments, mostly handmade.  They feel like old friends that resurface once a year.  I like to remember being at an ornament-making event for children and my middle son got his photo in the local newspaper.  He was so concentrated while making his ornament and had his tongue sticking out.  Adorable!  He must have been about three years old.  

Aw, so many sweet memories of Christmas past.