Decking the Halls

I finally bought a Christmas tree today. I waited longer this year since the tree from our first Christmas in Paris dried to a crunchy mess within two weeks. Maybe the French should consider making tree stands more readily available (and cheaper) vs. the tradition of shoving the tree in a half stump for support. Then again, that would be so American. And forget the flocking. I'm going natural this year rather than spraying the tree with a white foam to resemble snow. Not only were the fumes literallly intoxicating but the mess it makes is unworth the price of admission.