Christmas Tree 2015

This semester was very stressful for me. As Christmas approached, I just couldn't find the energy to think about it. I just wanted to do well in my classes. (I got a B in Economics and an A in Statistics.) At one point, I considered skipping Christmas. I just couldn't deal with the stress. 

In the end, we decided to scale it back. One of the things we decided to do was to skip the family gifts this year and make a donation to the local woman's crisis shelter instead. (I even convinced my employer to set up donation boxes for clothes, etc.) 

And instead of getting a real tree, I found a small, fake tree on sale for 60% off. I've had mixed feelings because I swore I would never own a fake tree or have such a small tree. Most of the decorations I have are too large for it, but I still had the crystal hearts we used on our very first Christmas tree when we got married. It was really fun to dig them out and use them again.

I thought having a fake tree would be less work, but the cats won't leave it alone. They have managed to make it shed a few needles, broke a heart, and one night they even knocked the entire tree over. 

I still miss having a big, real tree. But this tree has grown on me. It works perfectly for my busy life right now. And I can always leave it in the box next year and go back to a real tree next year if I want.