The 2020 Christmas Tree: Unstable, unpredictable and anxiety provoking, just like the year itself
The Laugh
We needed two step ladders, we experienced two minor injuries, we had two “tree down” drills and we needed to use our chainsaw – in the living room. Nothing in 2020 has been “normal”. Decorating our Christmas Tree was no exception.
We have a vaulted ceiling in our living room. I’ve always wanted to have a super tall tree that sits in the middle of the vault and stretches to the ceiling. This year my husband gave in and we went into the forest and cut down a tall tree (we think it was originally 12 -14 feet tall). I was excited. Please note that trees in the forest are much taller and wider in your living room than they appear in the forest.
We got the tree home, wrestled it into the house wrangled it into the tree stand and left it overnight to thaw and allow the boughs to drop and settle. The next morning around 10:30am started to decorate it.
The tree was massive (both in height width), we needed two step ladders and two adults to string the lights on the tree. There were some dicey moments when we reached across the tree to stretch the lights across it, but the adults stayed on the ladders and the tree stayed up.
Next, we prepared the ornaments by taking them out of their boxes and laying them out on the couch. At that moment, the cat meandered in and decided to try to sleep on the couch on the ornaments. The cat was removed to a bedroom. There were now empty Rubbermaid bins, ornament boxes and step ladders all over the living room.
Our daughters were sitting on the floor making their final ornament selection (they have little artificial trees for their rooms, so the ornament selection is a big deal as they decide which ornaments go where). Suddenly the tree fell and landed on our eldest daughter (aside from now having a fear of Christmas trees, she is ok), the middle part caught her shoulder and her neck, and the boughs and the top landed on her head. There was water (12 cups or so) all over the floor and the tree sustained a bit of branch damage. The cat was howling from the bedroom. Moving quickly and navigating boxes, ornaments, and a step ladder, while also checking on our daughter, my husband and I worked to get the tree back up quickly. I braced the tree stand (it is a big heavy-duty plastic one) with my foot and it slipped as my husband attempted to lift the tree back up. The tree stand became wedged on my ankle and as the tree was lifted my leg was being used as leverage (I was wearing runners and capri pants, so my calf and shin is exposed). I screamed as the tree stand ripped at my shin and ankle as it scraped up my leg as the stand moved; the tree dropped again. At this point I was bent over trying super hard not to swear and reminding myself to breathe. My daughters were worried that I was hurt seriously, and the cat was still howling. My toes were tingling, there was some swelling and I will have a nasty bruise. It hurt. A lot. We were not really laughing yet.
We took a deep breath. We regrouped. We got the tree standing again. It took four large bath towels to clean up all the water (we have laminate, not carpet thank goodness). There were fir nettles everywhere. It became clear that the tree a) was top heavy and b) we didn’t trust it. We contemplated our options. We had screws in the wall that we usually hang art and photos on. We talked through tying the tree to the wall. We realized that if it started to fall again it would likely pull the screws out of the wall and that would be worse. That idea was abandoned. We realized that we were going to need to cut the tree down and make it shorter so it would be stable (we hoped). At this point we were almost 3 hours in, and the house was a disaster – nothing else would be getting done. The cat was still howling and the dog (in a different room for safety was whining). Time was of the essence. The chainsaw came inside, the kids went downstairs and 45 seconds later we had a roughly 9-foot Christmas tree (down from the original 12-14 feet) and the aroma of chainsaw fuel and oil hung in our living room. We started to laugh.
We stood the tree back up, it was much more stable. I held the tree while my husband adjusted the tree holders in the stand to get the right tension. Suddenly I was not able to see, there was something sharp in my eye (pretty good chance it is part of the tree). I let go of the tree (it was finally stable) and navigated around the furniture and step ladders to the bathroom to remove debris from my eye and wash my hands, It was then that I discovered that my pants were sticking to the counter. It seems that during my time spent IN my Christmas tree, the sap spread to my hands and my clothing, creating a sticky mess. Ugh. I let the howling cat out.
We restrung the lights and realized that there were several branches broken on one side from the numerous tumbles the tree took. We even duct taped part of one branch just for extra stability. The rest of the decorating was uneventful. By 5:30 we were all done, and the house had been put back together. The tree now looks full on the right side, but it has chunks missing on its left side. It is battered and bruised for sure. We felt like we had been in a fight. No amount of turning the tree to find the good side was going to help us, the tree is a bit lopsided. Then we realized, it is just an authentic 2020 Christmas Tree –it is unpredictable, it is not that stable, it looks (and probably feels) like it has been to hell and back, but it is doing its best to stand tall, to carry on and to make the best of it. It is not a perfect tree, but we will take it for this year (fingers crossed it stays standing up).
The Lesson
Big Christmas trees are not nicer or prettier than small Christmas trees.
Embrace neutral thinking - focus on what do I/we need to do next - instead of the negative and positive elements of the situation.
The Iteration (i.e., how to make it better next time)
Measure the space you have, take a tape measure to size up potential Christmas trees, look for balance in the tree (i.e., avoid ones that are top heavy), and remember that trees in the forest will look smaller than they will appear in your living room.