An Almost Free Christmas Tree

For years Will has talked about using an artificial Christmas tree. I love the real ones, but we are terrible at having them. If it's not the cat climbing through the inside knocking all the ornaments off, it's the leaving it without water for days. Not to mention forgetting to "do away" with the poor thing until February or March. By then when you throw it out, it is naked as it goes out the door. The needles stay on it fine until you take the lights off...then woosh...they all fall down.

A couple of years ago, my Mom and Dad bought this beautiful fiber optic tree. They don't have to put lights on, because they are already on it. It's great. Will saw that and his "lightbulb" went on and that's what he's wanted ever since. Since then we(meaning "me") have watched for after Christmas sales for an artificial tree that would work for us. This is not a cheap endeavor since our ceilings are tall and we usually have about a 9' tree. Still I just couldn't find the right tree.

I have been shopping on ebay and found one that I thought we could try in our entry way. It was 7' tall, but thin. I didn't think that it was anything great and wonderful, but depending on the price would be worth $10 and people would be able to see it from the road. Yahoo...easy Christmas decorations. No standing out freezing my butt off stapling lights onto the fence etc. I bid my $4 to start and let it go. The price jumped in the next couple of hours to $50....way above my cheapskate limit. I thought "ok...we don't need that tree" and went on with life.

Low and behold I get an email with a second chance offer for the same tree at $4.00!! I bought it and figured what the heck...try it. It arrived 2 days later and when the lights are not on it is an ugly, and I mean ugly tree...but turn the lights on and it's beautiful. It's sitting in the middle of the living room where they tried it out and my hubby has to turn it on each and every time he's in the room. The strobe lights in it are painful and I'm sure would cause seizures after any amount of time, but you dial past those and it turns beautiful. Now they (the rest of them in the house) want to use it as our family Christmas tree this year. I'm not so sure that I'm willing to be outvoted on this one...you know if the mama ain't happy.....

However it works out...my hubby is happy...he plays his mafia wars each morning by "tree" light and I got to find a "deal" and an almost "free" Christmas tree (even the shipping was free).

Have a great day!