Oh Christmas Tree

This year we contemplated having no Christmas tree.  Yes, it's true.  Gasp if you must.  I'm ashamed to say it, but with the baby and everything else going on, we thought it would just be less hassle if we skipped the tree this year.  Lilly won't remember and it would spare us both time and energy, which are scarce commodities right now.  Then, I got to thinking... If we omitted the tree this year, what else might get the axe?  Valentine's cards?  Pumpkin carving?  The Thanksgiving turkey?!  So, I put my foot down and I sent the Grinch a packin'.  Tradition is important, even if it is a "hassle," and to be honest, I enjoy putting up the tree.  During the four hours I painstakingly wrap each branch in lights, cutting my hands with every move, I think of all the wonderful Christmas memories I have.  I think of my grandma and how she would hide all the presents and then forget where she put them.  I think of my mom's yearly battle with the fuses in the strands of lights and the endless quest to find the one light that went out and caused the entire catastrophe.  I think of Clark Griswold in all his glory and I think of my dad's persistence about not decorating the back of the tree because, after all,  "No one will see it anyway."  I think of the time I went to the Christmas tree farm with my beloved Aunt Laurie and how, while attaching the tree to the top of her '89 Acura Integra, we were tied in and didn't discover it until we got home and tried to open the doors.  So many cherished memories made possible by one tall, evergreen fire hazard set aglow and lovingly decorated in a cramped corner of the living room.  And so, without further ado...

 I'd love to hear your Christmas tree memories.  Please do share.