Time To Rethink a Tradition

One of my favorite holiday rituals has always been the outing to pick out our Christmas tree.  When the kids were younger we would get them a giant candy cane (everything is more fun with sugar) and they piled into the car wearing their Santa hats.  Arriving at the tree farm, we always forgot which types of trees retain their needles better and would have someone at the farm explain the options.  Some trips we picked one of the first trees we saw, and other times there was great deliberation.  After picking out the tree the kids got to select an ornament.  The drive home would be filled with anticipation thanks to this unofficial start to the holidays.

Getting the tree in the house always presented some challenges, with more than a few needles scattered all over the house.  Then there was the inevitable wrestling the tree into the stand, making sure it appeared straight, with the bare spot having no branches rotated so it was hidden in the corner.  But the kids’ excitement and enthusiasm made the vacuuming of the needles and balancing of the tree in the stand worthwhile.

Fast forward to this year, with the needles littered around the house more plentiful - or at least feeling that way - and the finagling of the tree into the stand taking much longer.  Coincidentally, a couple friends mentioned buying an artificial tree, something they thought they would never do.  Their enthusiasm for the ease of set up and reduced cleaning time have us strongly considering an artificial tree next year, assuming supply chain management issues are resolved.

If we end one tradition maybe we can come up with a new one that will involve less vacuuming. 

The author of this article is Rick Ropelewski, Wealth Manager at U.S. Wealth Management.

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