The Tree Stand that Hates Christmas

Last night Jesse and I went out and purchased our very first Christmas tree. I picked him up at his office and we stopped by our favorite Thai restaurant for fuel before the big search. As it turns out, we found the tree after about 3 minutes of looking. I decided quickly that I wasn't interested in the Douglas Fir trees (they have more puffy needles that go all the way around the branch). They are fine looking trees, but I was drawn to the Noble Firs that have thicker needles and more defined layers of branches. We took a pretty big risk buying the tree before the stand, given that earlier in the week I went to 5 different stores with no luck.

I read an interesting observation this week from a blogger who had a similar experience finding a tree stand this year too. He blamed it on the "Christmas Creep" that started long before Thanksgiving, so that by the time Christmas rolls around, the shelves are bare. I too was annoyed that stores had been sold out of Christmas tree stands two or three weeks before the actual event. It's not like I was running around on Christmas eve looking for something to hold my tree! I did find one store that carried $90 tree stands, which was just annoying given that our tree only cost $35.

Anyway, I popped into our local Ace Hardware (that I love more and more) this morning and luckily, they had just gotten a fresh shipment of perfectly reasonable $14 tree stands. Reasonable may be a stretch in this case, given that it took me 45 minutes to get the damn thing together. I read the very simple instructions: "Insert legs into indented slots and fit center ring. DO NOT insert legs on non-indented slots or your tree will fall over." I tried and tried, but the ring simply would not fit properly. After struggling for way too long, I inserted legs on the non-indented slots and voila! The ring slid right on. So if you are every in the market for the Ideal Brand^TM tree stand, do the exact opposite of the given instructions and save yourself a lot of cursing and fist waving.

I think our little tree looks pretty swell, but it certainly feels a bit naked in the corner -- even after stringing the lights. I wonder if a tree skirt would help? I'll just pile that on my to-do list for the rest of the week. (After a 30-minute diversion on the internet, I found that there is an abundance of really hideous Christmas tree skirts). Anyone have any ideas for something a little more mod? I'll have to put my thinking cap on for this one!

I'm hoping we'll have some time later this evening to start putting up the decorations. Jesse will have to bust out the Christmas tunes and I'll try to throw together some hot cider to make it feel more like the holidays. I also need to think about what we're going to do for Christmas dinner. It's just around the corner!