The Art of Compromise

Real or artificial? Quite unexpectedly
my husband and I looked at artificial
Christmas trees with lights already on
the branches. Three pieces to assemble.

Unexpectedly? We had gone to replace
an old coffee maker. After almost 40 years
of asking, it happened unexpectedly. So,
we perused artificial trees on display.

Three pieces and one plug. No lights
to string and replace. No decorations.
Just a simple real-looking tree. Yikes.
First one went back to the store. Defective.

The replacement awaits assembly in the
garage. Hopefully this one will work for the
upcoming season. On the way to the
checkout, I discovered a small

REAL living tree with a few decorations.
One which can be planted in spring.
My idea of compromise. The real tree
can be carried to the office to overwinter.

The 4″ Norfolk Pine will remain under
artificial lighting in the office. At
some point, it will get planted in our
daughter’s yard where she has room.

No more endless pine needles to vacuum all
year long. My kind of tree! Even our church
had to forgo real trees because of fire hazards.
Now to gaze at the tiny colored lights.

The almost-real artificial tree has a
place of honor this year and for years to
come. We can still enjoy real pines in
our yard. Compromise! Happiness.