Where have all the Christmas Trees gone?

 

Where have all the Christmas Trees gone?

 

On this tenth day of Christmas, I must note something was missing this season.  There were almost no live Christmas trees  being sold at grocery stores or elsewhere.  I’ve only seen a few trees sadly laid on the curb.

 

I’m not seeing that many good sales, e.g. 75 to 90% off at the stores.  I couldn’t find many fresh wreathes, either.

 

An Internet search revealed that we’ve had a shortage since 2016.  In 2021, supply chain issues fueled the shortage.  Before that, COVID affected the sale of trees.  Ikea revealed they did not sell live trees because they wanted to be environmentally friendly.  Real trees have become more and more expensive as well, with 100.00 not being an unusual price.

 

Myself, I have mixed emotions.  When we got live trees, we took care of them, and then my dad took them down to the ravine for our birds to use.  Later, my mom developed allergies.  We began to use artificial trees, and could keep them up till Epiphany, a practice still in effect in our family.  The last real tree we had was a small one that fit in an old enamel pot. It was about three feet tall.  Our new puppy Smokey, was a little wild.  We thought he might knock it down, or think we brought the bathroom inside for him.  Our first dog Killer, a little poodle mix, did think that.

 

When we brought the tree home with Smokey, he promptly got sick in the car.  We had to clean up the upholstery, and minister to the tree, that had a crooked trunk.

 

We never wasted our trees.  My mother had memories of lashed Cyprus branches serving as a tree for her in Europe.  It was supposed to be a two month vacation that lasted seven years because they were Americans abroad caught in World War II.  The Cyprus branches were for their first Christmas.  After that, under the Fascist and NAZI occupations, there were no Christmases.

 

During my childhood, my grandparents had big live trees, and later, big artificial trees.  I did small theme trees, made trees, decorated trees, all through the house.   Our local Festival of Trees and the Hoover Presidential Library displays inspired my mom nad me.  We even had a bathroom tree decorated with doll sized perfume bottles.  One day, we heard a scream from that room.  My dad walked in and saw the perfume tree for the first time.  “Oh God!” said he, “Doll things in the bathroom!!”

 

My current big tree is artificial, and prelit.  I do have live holly bushes and a lot of evergreens, some older than I am.  Our tree has unbreakable ornaments; my little girl cat is not above knocking the box tree down.  Her toy box is under it; if the toybox gets  moved, she expresses her displeasure  by knocking the tree down.  My antique ornaments are in glass cases or safely tucked away, so also are my Christopher Radkos,,  Polonaise glass, Victorian glass ornaments, Shiny Brites, Dresdens and other precious examples.  Many are carefully packed away.  Every year, I look for more, and rotate collections, just as my mom and aunt used to do.

 

Somehow, I didn’t see as many pumpkins at Halloween, either.  I’m all for the environment, and one of my blogs is full of greening tips

[Dr. E’s Greening Tips for the Common Person], yet, I love tradition, too, and love that Christmas trees are recycled.

 

Well, two more days of Christmas to go.  Hope you get to celebrate Twelfth Night, and if nothing else, read the Bard’s play of the same name.

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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