This 'n That Thursdays: Christmas Trees -- Bah, Humbug?

From HomeKlondike

Okay, I am about to share one of my deepest, darkest secrets about Christmas, so try not to be too shocked.  Ashamed as I am to admit it, the older I get the less enthusiastic I feel about setting up a Christmas tree.  I still very much enjoy all other holiday decorating traditions -- lights, garlands and wreaths, stockings, candles, table settings, and all the rest of the Christmas-themed decorations I dutifully haul out each year.  Everything delights me except for the tree.  I put this down to the fact that we switched to an artificial tree a few years ago.  It is actually quite lovely, very realistic and conveniently pre-lit, but somehow it is just not the same as the real thing.  Unfortunately, because of two rather rambunctious dogs, our Christmas tree must be set up on the second floor, and it is just too difficult to drag a full-sized real tree up our narrow staircase every year, so the fake tree is our only option.  Because I will not be decorating this year after just losing our beloved dog Diamond, I do get a reprieve from tree duty, but I am seriously considering not doing the standard Christmas tree at all from now on.  Now that's downright Scrooge-like!

Of course, there are other options.  A small, pre-decorated tabletop tree might work:

From Harry & David

Or I suppose I could borrow the Festivus tradition of a plain aluminum pole:

But then again, I think I would miss the Dalmatian-themed tree that has become our Christmas trademark:

Much as I have come to dread dragging out the dastardly tree, I have a feeling I am going to continue this Christmas tradition anyway.  To badly paraphrase the classic Charles Dickens quote, "Gosh darn it, every year!"