It has been a joy having a real Christmas tree this year!

It's still alive 18 days after being cut from a nearby tree farm, fresh and perky, looking better than ever. I don't want to throw it away!

My son and daughter have been essentially worshipping it since day 1, saying good morning to it, good night, and so on. It has become part of the family.

As a reminder, here's what it looked like when I first got it:

More ornaments were added, a sparkling layer of silver tinsel, and of course... the presents. It turned out very nice.

My wife @MediKatie added some homemade mushroom ornaments!

Check out her post tonight for more of those magical beauties.

Real versus fake

I'm not here to get deeply into the debate about real versus fake Christmas trees, but I do want to say that I've really enjoyed this real tree. I've had real trees many times in my life, such as all through my childhood in the 70s and 80s, then when I first got married in the early 00s and had my first children. At some point along the way I ended up with fake trees, or just no tree at all. So this has been a nice return to tradition.

I'm living up where trees are plentiful (Northern BC Canada). And this tree was farmed - it was grown from seed specifically for this purpose. I paid full price to the farmer, who will grow another in its place starting next year. It's not as ecologically harmful as you might imagine. In fact, that plastic tree you buy and replace every 10 years or so is pretty wasteful and harmful, if you think about it.

The positives this tree brough my family were many! Like I said, it took on a persona of its own. It smelled great. It adds a focus to the living room - something to look at and enjoy. A real tree is a conversation starter, it's impressive, it's something special. Even going out and getting the tree was enjoyable, and hopefully will become a yearly tradition.

The lights bring a soft glow and pleasant colours that are missing from other times of the year, and appreciated this close to Winter Solstice.

It hasn't dropped more than a few needles, this whole time. No bugs, no sap, no mess or problems whatsoever. It has helped this year become one of my favourite Christmases EVER. A highly enjoyable experience that I hope to repeat in December 2025!

Smell: 5/5
Christmassiness: 5/5
Ease of setup: 4/5
Beauty: 5/5
Overall rating: 5/5

DRutter