“Mom, your such a geek!” is something I now hear coming out of my 13 year old daughters mouth. One would think it was an insult but alas, I can’t argue with her and truth be told, she is a bit as well. She will not however admit to it most days!

What to do about the holiday Tree

Long ago the tradition of dressing up an ever green was created by those following a Pagan path. Eventually, like so many things it was adopted by those following the Christian path. Today many people of different faiths have a Christmas tree, a symbol of hope ever lasting even in the darkest and coldest of times. A reminder that things will be ok.

There are three options these days it seems for trees, either they are fake, they are cut, or they are potted.

A Fake Tree

Fake trees are not actually the green option they might appear to be. They are made of plastics that are from petrolium, toxic to make and maybe even toxic to keep as they off gas, and did I mention they are plastic? This kind of tree never seems like the right option for my family

A Cut Tree

This tends to be a better green option in that these trees are grown and replaced in tree farms. It is a joke though, Jesus is born, lets kill a tree! Joking aside, the reason we choose to not get one this year is because we are a military family and tend to not be home much around the holidays leading to a tree not watered and a possible fire hazard, not to mention the lovely pine needles all over!

A Potted Tree

A potted tree sounds like a perfect green solution right? Only I keep killing them every time we get one and they never really look all that great. Did I mention I end up killing them? So this didn’t seem like the right option either.

So that left me no options right? Well as you can see, I still used wood, and it is a green option! It isn’t fancy, but some how it is perfect. The family made it together and while the top of it is not what one would call stable, it is still loved, specially by the kids. I think the husband is itching to fix the lights on it though. I used them to make the top more secure and so they are not wrapped in the way her would like. I hope they do not fall over and squish him when it finally bugs him so much he has to do something about it!

We love the Book Tree

All 4 children love the book tree, they go on and on about it and tell everyone about it. I thought maybe they would miss having a more traditional tree but that does not seem to be the case. I love looking at it, it has some of my favorite books in it and even some advocacy books in it supporting thinks like not spanking and breastfeeding. Near the top the kids piled on “Magic Tree House” books. Tucked sweetly in there is a book my husband and I read together when we dated. It is a holiday tree that has so much meaning and memories and goals in it. We love the book tree! I bet if you make one, you will too!