Christmas Tree

Last weekend I drove out to Eckert's Farm in Belleville, IL to get a Christmas tree. 

I suppose I could have gotten one a little closer to home but I wanted a big ass tree and because I didn't want to go tree lot to tree lot hunting down said big ass tree, I resorted to calling places that advertised on the internet. Eckert's had plenty of tall trees and was only 25 minutes away, so that's where I went. 

Eckert's has their pre-cut trees next to their restaurant, right up next to a wall of windows. I guess that's the section of the restaurant where people have to hang out while waiting to be seated and there were a lot of gawkers watching me pace back and forth between the somewhat expensive trees and the full-blown expensive trees. I kept coming back to one particular tree, in the full-blown expensive section, and at one point some people tapped on the glass and mouthed "how much is that tree?"

I flipped the price tag around so the group could see it and one lady about fainted. I got a thumbs up, but I also got some eye rolls. That meant I'd found the right tree; if you're not gonna get a little ridiculous with the Christmas decor, is it even really Christmas? Plus, I went there for a big ass tree, and that particular tree was definitely a big ass tree. 

I had 'er bundled up, got 'er strapped down in the bed of the truck, drove home, and then started to wonder how I was going to manhandle it into the house.

That tree, top to bottom, was just under 11' tall. The weight was manageable, but I had to throw it over my shoulder to carry it in and keeping everything balanced just right while walking up about 10 steps was tricky. Then I had to navigate the foyer, which isn't big. She's tall, but not wide or deep. 

Yada yada yada, I had to move some furniture but I got 'er in the house. I cut off the bottom so it'd fit in the tree stand, got the tree stand situated just right, tightened the tree stand screws, and stood 'er up...kinda nailed it, first try. No adjustments necessary.  

When it was all said and done, I was left with a tree that stood about 10.5' tall. I was a little upset that I didn't get one a tiny bit taller and really scrape the ceiling, but flying solo, I'm not sure I could have handled a tree any bigger than this.  

The following day I got the thing decorated. I didn't fool around with a tree skirt - baby steps; this is my first tree in about 15 years - or worry about cord management, and the ornamentation is a little generic, but regardless, that tree, and the scent, really made the house feel a little festive. I was pretty excited about how it all turned out.   

I'll probably take the next week or two off from rehab work, but once we hit 2022 it's "game on". Merry Christmas!