When we first married, we lived in a trailer. Before we were out of there, we had two children. We always had a Christmas tree, but it was a small one – one that could be put on a box and anchored with a rope to be sure it did not tip over.

We moved to Hickory Heights when our son was four and our daughter three. Now we could have a real tree – one that stood on the floor and did not need to be anchored. Our Christmas tree stand was an old wagon wheel. That made it pretty stable since it could only tip so far.

We were renovating the house. My husband decided to finish the dining room floor the day we went to do our Christmas shopping. It could dry while we were gone. That meant that the Christmas tree could not be put up until the floor dried. After shopping we were always late getting the chores done. The tree did not get set up until the next day – just two days before Christmas.

With all of the dust created by the sanding of the floor there was a lot of cleaning to do. My dining room table and chairs needed to be washed. All of my dishes needed to be washed. We spent a busy couple of days getting Hickory Heights ready for Christmas.

I was still cooking on a wood stove. I cooked a ham and made potato salad – that way the potatoes were all done beforehand. My mother and my grandparents joined us for Christmas since it was on a Sunday. Our Christmas program was that day. We came here after church for our Christmas dinner.

There have been many memorable Christmas trees since then. We always went to a farm to cut our tree. There is a movie of us dragging home the tree on a sled. We really brought it home in a car and just brought to the house by that method.

One year our Christmas tree was so big that we could hardly open the upstairs door. As it set in the corner, we had to squeeze through to get upstairs.

We had Christmas trees growing in the field right next to us. Actually, they were pine trees that we did not trim. For several years we used our own trees. My husband took the children and went out to cut one. They were not full and beautiful like the trees grown on the tree farms, but at least they were pines that we could decorate.

My daughter’s boyfriend at the time lived on a Christmas tree farm. He did not think much of our Christmas tree. He offered to bring us one, but my husband declined saying we could use the one from our lot.

A few years after that I finally figured out that the reason I was sick every Christmas was because I was allergic to the tree. My in-laws bought us a “fake” tree. After that my illness disappeared. Since that time, we have had artificial trees.

After my husband passed, I downsized my tree purchasing a small model that set on a table. That is what I have used since. Actually, the one I put up this year I purchased to take to craft shows when my granddaughter and I were attending them. We never lit the lights but we put ornaments on that we offered for sale. The thing I like about this tree is that the base lights up too. I do not need a tree skirt.

I know that a lot of people decorate trees in a number of rooms, but not me. We have always had one tree. That is how I grew up as well. I do have two ceramic trees and a couple little trees that I brought from my grandparents’ home. When I put them out, they remind me of grandma and grandpa. We always put them on the piano but since I no longer have a piano, I put them in different spots.

A word about Christmas trees. Christmas trees are an agricultural product. They are grown on farms. I found out that there are close to a million acres of trees harvested from the tree farms. Each year, millions of real trees are sold. Although every state in the U. S. grows Christmas trees, the top producers are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington.

Tree farms are beneficial to the environment reducing the carbon dioxide in the air thus helping combat global warming. They recycle as well being turned into mulch that is beneficial when growing things.

Whether you use an artificial tree or a real one, make the tree special. If you choose a real one realize that it probably took about fifteen years to grow to the size to fit into your home. The nice thing about the artificial trees is that they can be put up early. Also, there are no needles to sweep up!

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.