Cass put all his toys out on the sunporch and cleared away everything to make room for the tree.
He was fairly levitating when I brought the big box down the stairs. After we snipped open the tape, he yanked open the panels and froze.
"Mommy? That's not a tree."
Why no, son, you're right. It was originally plastic pellets, (or some other material never found in nature) forced and extruded into shape at some huge factory, cobbled together by the quick fingers of (probably underpaid) workers, strung with lights by other hands. And now it's a tangled flattened lump from twelve months of sitting in an attic. But look! If we attach this long part with this part, and find the tree stand, and where the hell is the plug?, and beat and bend these branches into submission....why.....voila!
"Oh" he said softly, amazed by its beauty as it lit up, "oh".
7 comments:
One of the inside trees came in looking like a wreath! It hoopskirted up, when hung on a long pole, to be a fully lit, decorated and beribboned tree! The boys? They are AMAZED!
We'll do 'real' again in a few years. I'm enjoying taking a break from watering a tree and cleaning up the mess! And our big fake tree? It's a bit of work to get it fluffed out and looking perky. But well worth it.
I'm so impressed you used the word extruded.
I love the children's faces when the tree goes up each December ...
You have such a way of putting things!
It's Magical! Like the tree.
Yep. Recognize the feeling.
-J.
We had a bottlebrush tree for many years. I gave it away last November (2005), figuring it would end up in a trash heap if I waited until January. This year I feel a little sorry. My mom's gone. She always helped me determine whether the paint code on the twisted wire stem of each claw was pink or orange. Or faded white. Or scratched-off brown, or... Yup. Never thought I'd say it, but I miss that tree.
Thanks for visiting my blog, by the way. I'm glad you weren't frightened away by my doldrums. I'll be funnier soon. I like the stuff you write. I also like where you live. I'm in Florida. Nice in the winter, hell in the summer.
Kids! That's what I forgot to have around when I took my Duralite vinyl tree from its narrow box.
Alas, your description is wonderful. And yes, truly impressed by "extruded."
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