To Tree or Not to Tree

For those celebrating Noel, Yule or Christmas, the trimmed tree is considered an integral part of the celebration. I remember tromping through the snow to help choose and evergreen. My dad set it up on the three-legged stand with water trough. The family gathered to decorate it with treasured ornaments.

Often these trees end up in a landfill though environmentally friendly options exist including having a real tree recycled into mulch, buy a faux tree made of metal, plastic or man-made materials, going without a tree, substituting a facsimile wall hanging with a tree pattern or putting a living tree in a planter and then transplanting it later in the yard.

My honey and I chose a living tree this year because the branches will provide shelter for the winter birds in our yard. For our date, we went to choose the tree. Our options were fir, spruce, cedar, pine and sequoia. The choice depended on the destination. We finally settled on a spruce and we decided to not even set it up in the house for the holidays.

Just because tradition dictates putting gifts under the tree doesn’t mean either the gifts or the tree are absolutes. My honey thought the tree was enough of a gift because we would get joy from it all year. We’ll be able to watch our tree grow along with our relationship and we will enjoy the birds’ antics. The birds will celebrate the season in style because we also brought home twenty-five pounds of birdseed.

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Love in the Falling Leaves

Those trees that provide shade during summer give free material for compost in the autumn. Unfortunately, my trees are unable to place the leaves in the right spot.

Leaf raking might not sound like much of a date, but if it must be done I intend to have fun doing it. My honey prepared the rakes and wheelbarrow. My dog wandered across the law and collected leaves in her fur. I put mulled cider in the slow cooker and made pumpkin scones.

The sun was warm, no wind blew, the temperature held at a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The pile of leaves grew on the front lawn until it was so large I was tempted to jump in like a kid. I contemplated whether it would seem immature and silly. Absolutely not; enjoying life as it comes is essential.

I fell backward and wiggled my arms to burrow deeper. My dog joined in by jumping on top of me, yipping and then licking my face. More leaves flew to cover us. My honey scooped them into the air and let them fall. The dog jumped out and tried to catch the leaves. Even with time out for fun, the leaves ended up in the compost pile and we took time to relax.

My honey proposed a toast with a cup of warm cider. "To fertile imaginations and the soil that gives them life."

I never would have guessed raking leaves could be so romantic. My new appreciation for trees goes beyond their contribution to cleaner air, shade, windbreak and all those attributes that make planting more good for the environment. Trees are a living metaphor for growing love.

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