Well I put up three Christmas trees this year! I put one in the kitchen and decorated it with multicolor lights and lots of things that children would find fun like reindeer and rocking horses and antique Santa Clauses. I put another tree in the living room close to the dining table area and decorated it in red and silver. The lights on this tree are tiny, clear ones and absolutely everything on the tree is either red or silver. Now I also put up a bigger Christmas tree along the other side of the living room and decorated it is only gold and pink ornaments with clear lights. The unusual thing about these trees is that they are ALL artificial trees!!!! I cannot believe that I was not interested in going to find the perfect live tree this year and I am wondering is this is a sign that I am getting old. As a child and even into my twenties and thirties I would have stood in front of a team of Clydesdale horses before I would have put an artificial tree in my house. I somehow feel like a traitor to my own words and principles about what Christmas decorations should look like ... me being sort of a naturalist at heart. I do plan to put fresh greenery along the outside of my front door and on the side door as well and all along the fence posts that line the fields. I think I will end up hanging up about forty pieces of greenery (red cedar) and BIG red bows on each post...this should look pretty terrific. My grandchildren are coming back to Edmond to visit us for the holidays this year, and it has been close to three years since they moved to South Texas. I know they will think everything looks quite Christmasy...in spite of the FAKE Christmas Trees! (cringe) I Still Can't Believe I Put Up Artificial Christmas Trees!

sylvia hamilton