O Christmas tree...

Ahh Yes.. Now that we are on the subject of Christmas...and trees.. and Fa La La La La...La...
So our story begins in the late 80's early 90's....

Our family still in keeping with the "Real Tree" tradition..

(This was before the horrible bleach in the water to keep the tree fresh .. stain the carpet with a ginormous white ring incident.) Which by the way..... brought our "Real Tree" days to a crashing halt.

Anyway... We wanted to support our local tree lot around the corner... (Well That... and... Helllo....It was right around the corner!!!!)

Just like the swallows of Capistrano who come back to roost in the same location each year...... This older gentleman and a couple of kind of scary looking dudes who looked like they had just come in from the hunt.....would show up.... in the same rickety little trailer and park right in the middle of the empty lot...

Almost over night.. a virtual Forrest of various Christmas Trees sprouted up.

The Same old guy "Ran" the lot.. with interchangeable Mutt and Jeff's helping from year to year. ( He kinda looked like this guy ... eerie)

Our first year on the lot... We spoke to this friendly fellow.. who took his time to point out the numerous pros and con's to each tree..

He walked confidently among the lush mock forestry.

Once the prize specimen was chosen.. he even offered to cut a bit off the bottom (for better absorption of the dreaded bleach water I'm sure) ... and tied it down securely for our 5 min ride home.

When it came down to the price... He always started with a high quote.. and came down to what he assured us was a ridiculous bargain... with a wink of the eye he said..

"I'ma losing money here folks"

Oh.. What the heck..... It's Christmas...

It's been a great day...

The kids didn't kill each other or get lost in the vegetation...

We got a peach of a deal on our tree..

We are a hop skip and a jump away from home...

What more could one ask for???....

Just as we were ready to leave.....our furry friend begins to tell us about life here in his

"Tin Can" the long hours in his trailer here on the lot.. often too cold and tired to even sit down and eat... or ...

"Use the head"

(Wow.. he did seem pretty worn out and well... ripe..)

yeah..

"This here trailer is now ma home because ma house burned down last year... right around Christmas."

( Holy Man.. that sucks.. !!! and during the holidays... )

"Yeah.. I also lost my best friend in the fire...."

(What The !!!!??)

"Yeah.. "My cat Snookie (not the real name)...I just loved that animal... she was like family to me..."

Staring in utter shock and dismay all I could say was....

"Wow.. This is awful.."

I looked at Mr R....and didn't have to say a word.. He already had a ten spot that he slipped discreetly into Grizzly Adams hand...

With just the glint of a tear forming in his eye.. Grizzly waved to us.. and whispered ...

" Merry Christmas....and ...God Bless You"...

We drove home quietly ... thankful for all our blessings ...

A nice home..

A nice tree...

and no cat to worry about losing in a fire...

The year went by pretty darn fast... Before you know it... It was time to get our Christmas tree again....and as luck would have it...

Grizzly was there like clock work...

Again... he walked us through the entire process and the vast array of tree choices..

Again told us "What a steal" he had given us...

and just as we were getting ready to go... he looked us all straight in the eyes and said...

"Yeah... it's been a rough year.. "

"You see.. My house burnt down right around this time last year." ...

we stood there speechless.. not knowing whether to laugh or beat him upside the head with a nearby wreath......

"Yep...and I lost my best friend in that fire...My cat ."....

Now I have heard of Cats having 9 lives.. but COME ON......

Hmmmm... maybe it's where you live...

Perhaps it was time to move

anyway....

Yeah... we learned alot that Christmas about what is important in life...

That a "Real" Christmas tree does not make you any happier then a "Fake" Tree...

That Living up North in Michigan...

You can lose your house and Best friend a fire... OFTEN...

No matter what....

If a hairy old man selling Christmas trees on a near by lot tells you this is a good idea......

DO NOT put bleach in the water of your tree..

You will only end up with ruining your carpet...

What a Jack Hole....

How's THAT for a Happy Christmas Tale...!!!!

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