A Tree for All Seasons

On Sunday evening we went to the grocery store to pick out our Christmas tree. While we won't be here for Christmas itself, I felt adamant that we should have a tree. First off, we invested in about $30 worth of decorations last year and I certainly don't plan for them to sit in the closet for 11 months for no good reason. Second, a tree just makes it feel more seasonal. So we had to have a tree.

After great consideration, we decided on a living tree. It's just nicer to think about rather than a cut-down one that spent the last month in a refrigerated container sailing from Oregon to Honolulu. The living trees they have around here are mostly Norfolk Pines and I find them adorable. Plus, plus... they're from the South Pacific. So it's like a Christmas tree that actually belongs in the islands.

Bryan and I don't make any decisions lightly. It only makes sense that our tree selection process was indepth and full of education. We inspected all of the Norfolk Pines, pondered which were healthier than others, estimated which height would look right in our apartment, and guessed as to how much they might grow. Finally, we were referred to a tree expert name Albert. Albert gathered his knowledge of plants and trees while growing "stuff" for his uncle. You know what sort of stuff. Albert works in the nursery at the grocery store and answered every single one of our Norfolk Pine questions with patience and knowledge.

That is how we came to have this delightful tree to decorate and keep all year round. I've named it Albert, Al for short, in honor of the plant guy that started out growing "stuff."