by Digger Barr
https://gaiasgardens.guru/
I want to share my Christmas tree story.
To begin this let us first look at the controversy around having an artificial or live cut tree.
Having been in the nursery business for years, one of my jobs in the past was selling Christmas trees.
I have sold many artificial trees as well as live cut trees.
The latter being a very cold, wet job.
Did I mention the cold yet? Border line miserable.
At the end of a winter workday out in the elements, one’s cheeks can get as red and rosy as good ole St. Nicks.
Even after I had showered and sat in the warmth of my house, my cheeks would glow.
People are very particular about their trees and picking one out is a very personal experience.
Maybe it’s because of childhood memories.
Maybe it’s a current special situation such as with tall cathedral ceilings or the opposite of limited space.
Whatever the decision on how to choose a tree, it usually is purposeful and the tree becomes the main stage in a family’s celebration.
A backstory of cut trees is found looking into the Christmas tree industry.
Christmas trees are grown on tree farms designed with the need to thin the crops.
The number of trees cut however are limited each year.
The cuttings are sold in allotments and getting an allotment is very competitive.
Reputable nurseries and tree lots get first dibs on what trees they receive.
As some may know, here in the Pacific Northwest Noble firs are highly desired and very expensive.
We have a large population and so it’s obvious that there are not going to be enough trees for everyone.
But the same number of trees are cut whether there are buyers or not.
It is a whole industry and many jobs are created by this tradition.
Artificial trees are amazingly realistic anymore and are also a respectable choice for celebration.
The odd thing is the majority are made in China.
I am not even sure they celebrate Christmas in China.
There is no judgment in which way to celebrate your holiday.
Unfortunately, and this is as far as I will go with this thought, they both end up in landfills.
As a seasoned Christmas tree elf, I strongly advocate for using live potted trees.
Indoors no more than ten days then back outside to be planted when it’s time to plant.
Again, any tree in a pot was nursery grown somewhere so it’s all controlled growing, not infringing upon naturally grown environments.
That said, let’s get into my story for this season’s celebration.
I have an artificial tree. It sits in the basement ready and willing whenever the occasion arises.
I mix up my tree lighting from year to year depending on my mood, not on a particular childhood drive.
Growing up we often used houseplants as our tree.
I do enjoy the fragrance of a cut evergreen indoors.
Any tree that comes into my home becomes part of the family.
We treat it with love and respect and you can feel the gift that it brings us flow into the room.
It is not lost on me that this tree is serving its life’s purpose at this very moment.
The decision to get a cut tree this year came from a very intentional place.
We need joy in our lives.
The craziness from the world that flows around us right now needs balance and strong boundaries.
Also, my son is graduating from college and coming home for what could be the last time for a while.
One never really knows with young adults.
But it felt like this needed to be a super special year, so I decided to start with getting a cut tree.
It couldn’t be just any tree.
I am a Frasier Fir gal.
Frasier firs are not well known and as far as I know only come from one place.
The availability is exclusive, and on any given year it’s a hard tree to track down.
My space for a tree is limited this year and so I also needed to keep it on the slim and shorter side.
I began looking at the nearest tree place and saw nothing that interested me.
Moving on to the next place, I found they had been hit hard and were limited in how many trees were left.
Apparently I had waited too long for an optimal choice.
Another tree lot and the same story.
I was looking at Nobles, Grands and Alpine firs or Scotch pines. Most of which were 8 feet tall or larger or barely 2 foot tall.
I was in the market for around 5 ft. Six foot would be fine but the cost is determined by foot and going too big to just to cut it off doesn’t make sense.
I was short on luck and getting to be short on time.
Like everyone else my schedule was tight and I had many things on my list to do.
Suddenly I found one of my errands got completed sooner than I had thought and I had a few extra minutes before the next thing.
I was on the northside of town and the next thing was on the south side of town.
The drive was about a half hour but with my extra time I could toss in another stop no problem.
I could look for a tree.
I stopped to think about this. Where could I go that might carry Frasier?
It came to me that this particular store carried local products and some trees but not very many as it wasn’t really a tree lot.
This store was clear out to the eastside of town.
Not convenient by any means given my current location and my next destination.
However it could be done, if done quickly, so I headed that way.
Traffic was in my favor and was soon turning into the large parking lot.
I turned toward the tree area and looked across the car tops but couldn’t see any trees.
My heart didn’t sink. I just needed to get closer.
Turning down the lane and I drove past the fenced area.
There were only three trees left.
Even as I parked I knew I had hit pay dirt.
3 trees left, 2 of them 8 foot grand firs and one 5 foot Frasier.
I calmly walked around the gate and took the price tag off. I went in to pay then came out to collect the tree.
As I carried the tree to the back of the car, I felt stunned.
What are the chances? I thought.
I would say the chances are slim to none.
What just happened?
I am going out on a limb here and say it was a Christmas miracle.
It was a sign of the times .
It was a manifestation being brought by the cosmic energies of quantum connection.
Why did I drive out of my way?
Why didn’t logic and reason rule the day?
I could have said no at any time.
Some may say Luck.
I would agree but what is luck?
Luck is when the gift from the guides is so obvious you cannot argue or deny.
When the stars are aligned so everything goes easy.
But then again, was it luck?
I cannot even write this story without feeling the overwhelm of gratitude for what we are about to experience.
This simple action of finding ‘My idea’ of a perfect tree was literally looking for a pine needle in a haystack.
And it came to me when I was least expecting it.
If this is the world we are to walk in, I say, bring it on.
There is no doubt in my mind this holiday is special.
I am going with ‘beyond measure’!
Let’s try not to measure the miracles as they arrive.
Let’s just take a minute and revel in the magic of it all.
The beauty of awe is all around us, asking us to step away from what seems logical and to step into the flow of faith.
Sometimes we see it, sometimes it hits us over the head.
Even if we can’t see it in action, the energy is there.
It’s just here, all around us, waiting.
Waiting for us to learn about it.
Waiting for us to get out of our own way.
Ahh, but when we do.
What a wonderful world for us all.
Happy Holiday everyone
May peace, love and magic fill your lives with joy.
Digger 24