White Christmas Tree

We found ourselves this year without a Christmas tree. Whilst living in Oregon, we would always go cut our own tree down. Christmas Trees COME from Oregon, you know. 


So when it came to finding a tree in Utah, we toyed with the idea of finding a tree lot and getting a fresh tree, but tree lots seem to have gone out of business. So we decided to go fake. I'm OK with that. I miss the smell, but we could barely keep a tree fresh and green in Oregon where it isn't so dry and where we know the tree was freshly cut because I cut it down myself. 


So we went to Walmart and got this delight:

That's right. The white fake tree. It seemed to be just what La Settanta needed. A little Seventies chintz. A little sparkle. And it was half the price of the green trees. It's like some sort of reverse arboreal racism.

Yes, Jonah is wearing a Halloween shirt.

The kids seem to like it. And I don't have to water it. So everyone is happy.


And while we miss some of our Oregon traditions like cutting down our own tree, and...well OK. I think that was the only tradition we had that was unique to Oregon. And while we miss our Oregon traditions, we are so excited to be spending the holidays close to family.

Thanksgiving was at my house and it was delightful. First it was nice that I didn't have to cook the whole meal and I usually did in Oregon. And second it was nice in the sense that we came really close to my "One Pie per Adult in Attendance" rule. I made up that rule a long time ago and have never come close to following it. And it isn't so that you can EAT a whole pie (though if you want to, who am I to stop you?) it is so that you have the variety. 

Check that out. There were 17 pies. In the following varieties: Banana cream, triple berry, chocolate toffee cream pie, black bottom butterscotch cashew , cherry, chocolate cream, Nantucket cranberry, sweet potato (with cinnamon whipped cream,) pecan pie, sour cream lemon, chocolate peanut butter pie, pumpkin cream, pumpkin, French silk, pear upside down 

torte, and apple cranberry pie. I think we can beat the record in 2013. Start getting your recipes ready!

And we got to go to the annual Peterson extended family Christmas party, which we have missed for the last 4 years or so. It is fun and the kids get to see Santa, which is always a treat. Noel was game and sat on his lap.

And Lila was totally in. She'll sit on Santa's lap. But then she'll get really shy and talk in a really quiet voice the whole time. (Which I assume is why he is holding up a microphone to her.)

It is good to be home for the Holidays. No airplane ride on Christmas afternoon, no shipping gifts across state lines. And sure, no real Christmas tree. But I think it was worth the trade.