Day 176
With Thanksgiving behind us by about five minutes, Christmas looms unobstructed, just the way I like it. Bring on the crazy in all its twinkly glory! First things first, a tree.
This year the size of our tree was dictated by not only the size of our apartment but by what Paul can carry home on his back. There’ll be no strapping the tree to the roof of a teeny Euro car we don’t have. This one of those rare times a hover board would come in handy.
Our first task was to find a Christmas tree holder, a short job, since they don’t exist here. When we asked the older man selling trees where we might find one, he replied deadpan, “Americans.” Half correct. The Parisians buy their Christmas trees already stuck in half a log. Somehow we couldn’t wrap our head around not watering it for a month, and found a tray to set the log-stand in so we could at least water the stand. That was our cultural compromise.
Most of the trees sold in the city are small, and netted up into a compact green cylinder. Time is not spent looking for a symmetrical specimen, you simply grab one out of the bin or off the stack and take it home. It’s like a surprise tree grab bag. In Canada we would spend hours with the girls, pulling them on sleds, wandering through the Christmas tree forest, finding the imperfect one that we could all agree on. It was the fun of the hunt and the debate of which bald spots or crooked trunks were charming and not Charlie Brown tree like. Then we’d go back to the chalet where we’d do the annual scalding of our mouths with apple cider and pick out a tree ornament for that year. Choosing a tree took an entire day.
People here do not need to see the tree in all it’s unfolded glory before they commit. I’m still a bit hesitant to pick one randomly from the bin. We chose one that for some reason, escaped its netting. At least then I could see what bald spots I’d get to fill with ornaments.
Getting the tree home.
Next we bought a string of lights and three packages of ornaments–instant Paris Christmas. We passed on the feather boa garlands, which seem to be all the rage, as well as the mat-black Christmas ball ornaments. No doubt that combination would have made for a more authentic Parisian tree, but as I said before, Christmas calls for a bit of cultural compromise. White and sparkly it is.
Putting on the one string on lights.
Strings come with the ornaments and you have to tie them on.
Putting on the ornaments.
Our completed tree on Christmas.