I mean, it kinda looks like a real tree....just with sparkly tips. Joe promised that this fake tree would be used for "years to come" and since we now live in an even smaller apartment than the first one, I was thinking that this wee little tree wouldn't be so bad since where the heck are we going to put it anyway? Plus the fake tree would be free (this year) and a real tree costs money that would be better spent on yarn or plane tickets or Christmas presents or all three. Plus we're going to Seattle for Christmas and are only going to be able to enjoy it for 3 weeks before we go. In the end Joe won so we got up early and went out to hunt a fresh tree with his dad and sister.....
The Main Players:
Crystal
Joe and Carissa (that's us) 
We loaded up into the van and off we went to Martin's Tree Farm in Lowell. We spent maybe 2 hours wandering around looking at trees and trying to find the perfect one. Joe wanted one that wasn't too pokey. I wanted one that would fit in the apartment. We also discovered we have very different tree tastes. Joe likes fat, round, bushy trees. I like svelte trees with some more space between the branches for hanging ornaments.....like this tree:
Joe didn't like it, though. So we kept going until we found a tree Joe liked that I conceded to since there was no way I was going to convince him to get the kind of tree I liked (above). So Joe and his dad went in for the kill:
A few minutes later.....Victory!
Dad and Joe dragging "the hunt" out of the woods and then tying it onto the van...
Once we got it home and set up, then the real fun could begin. We have some friends who moved overseas to do doctoral work and gave us their pretty purple Christmas decorations when they left. I really like purple so I was pretty excited about it. And I was pleasantly surprised that Joe was going to let me decorate the tree in purple and silver (maybe he felt bad that we couldn't get the tree I wanted?). So after the fam left for their trek back to Pennsylvania, Joe and I got to decorating our pretty purple tree. Unfortunately, I think I need tree photography lessons, but here's to trying to give you an idea of what our tree looks like....
Yup....that's our tree! Joe was so happy to have a real tree that his face stayed lit up like a little kid's on Christmas morning all day long. Now we just have to find some kind of tree topper and also an ornament for 2006 (other than the ones made out of safety pins that Joe's mom gave us).
Joe didn't like it, though. So we kept going until we found a tree Joe liked that I conceded to since there was no way I was going to convince him to get the kind of tree I liked (above). So Joe and his dad went in for the kill:
A few minutes later.....Victory!
Dad and Joe dragging "the hunt" out of the woods and then tying it onto the van...
Once we got it home and set up, then the real fun could begin. We have some friends who moved overseas to do doctoral work and gave us their pretty purple Christmas decorations when they left. I really like purple so I was pretty excited about it. And I was pleasantly surprised that Joe was going to let me decorate the tree in purple and silver (maybe he felt bad that we couldn't get the tree I wanted?). So after the fam left for their trek back to Pennsylvania, Joe and I got to decorating our pretty purple tree. Unfortunately, I think I need tree photography lessons, but here's to trying to give you an idea of what our tree looks like....
Yup....that's our tree! Joe was so happy to have a real tree that his face stayed lit up like a little kid's on Christmas morning all day long. Now we just have to find some kind of tree topper and also an ornament for 2006 (other than the ones made out of safety pins that Joe's mom gave us).
