Yeah, I know ... it's fake

We have our Christmas tree set up. But for the first time in my life, it’s a fake one.

We both kinda hated going this route, but there was a very good reason for our decision: Don’s allergies. My dear spouse loves Christmas as much as the rest of us, and we agreed it was worth getting a fake tree so he wouldn’t have to walk around with severe sinus issues from having a real tree in the house for a month. He should be able to enjoy this season of worship and festivities without suffering.

We thought about getting a fake tree last year after Christmas. We did some online research and were appalled both at the prices and at the utterly ugly possibilities (Fluorescent PINK trees? Really?).

Prices ranged from $150 for some really chintzy options up through $400 and $500 for better ones. Ouch.

In October, I noticed this reasonably-priced and decent-looking model at a WalMart:

But a couple weeks ago, when we were ready to buy, the model was long gone, across multiple stores.

The Costco options were limited…

…and expensive. Nope.

We swung through a Lowe’s. Styles were iffy…

…and prices were high. Nope.

Allergies or not, a real tree was looking more and more likely. Then Younger Daughter and I made another stop at a WalMart to look at what was available, and came across a reasonably-looking model for the much better price of $90. Not terribly “realistic,” but hey, if Charlie Brown could make a branch look decent, so could we.

Assembly was fairly straightforward.

It’s our first time with an artificial tree, so we aren’t used to the severely perfect symmetry, but it’s handsome enough — especially for $90.

Then we hauled down the decorations, put on Christmas music, and got to work. We missed Older Daughter terribly at this time, but still had fun.

Lydia helped, of course.

The results were just lovely. It seems strange to take a tree out of a box rather than cut it in the woods, but I’m glad Don’s sinuses won’t be acting up with having a live tree in the house for a month.