Stars are falling, angels are being stuffed into boxes, and lights are going out. It's the de-christmas-afying of Haverford Township. We're making better progress today than we predicted. What we thought would be a 3-day takedown will probably only amount to 2 broken days' worth. We've gotten everything off the upstairs tree and everything that is coming off the downstairs tree is boxed up (yes, we have TWO trees. More on this ridiculousness in a bit). Our upstairs tree is a balsam acquired on Dec. 8th at the Manoa Shopping Center Parking lot. It's still going quite strong. It's a shame to throw it out - it's even spawning new needles! Replanting a cut christmas tree isn't possible, but we may be able to get a cutting to work. Judging by the way our kids are talking about the environment and recycling, we'll soon be one of those weird families whose uncut tree come with a root bag. I'll have to construct a tree skirt out of old king size bed sheets. We'll need a jackhammer to get through the frozen topsoil to plant it. Our house will be easy to spot, though. In 10 years, the lawn will look like an abandoned pine project in some remote corner of Merry Place. Somehow the Christmas decor is getting more pervasive as our kids are growing. This year, our 8th-grader and 2nd-grader discovered the artificial tree we used as a carefree, apartment-dwelling couple in Center City. This artificial tree is about 20 years old, so no lights, no pre-assembly. All 4 of us spent 2 days bending and shaping the wired branches and finagling them down into their slots. We wired the 8-foot metal-and-paper monster up with white mini lights and real-tree discard decorations. We're going to take a hint from The Grinch and try to stuff the tree up (into the attic), assembled and pre-lit. This will probably not go well. The real tree is destined for the curb. We're lucky to live in Haverford Township, where Public Works collect and recycle xmas trees. The first pick-up will … [Read more...]