Palm Trees and Christmas Lights

So far, I have not been able to break the habit of making a double-take every time I see a palm tree with the trunk wound up in Christmas lights. I know by next year it will probably be perfectly natural to me. But not yet. I bought myself a table-top pine tree in irridescent mylar for $10 at Walmart. It gives one the impression of a pale purple/pink tree (just a shade above white) covered with ice. Somehow that seems more natural than a palm tree with Christmas lights on it. Go figure.

But never fear. My love of the season is in no way dimished. I still drop coins in the Salvation Army bucket on my way into the store as I smile and nod at the skinny, sweaty man in a Santa Suit. And I am very close to making up my mind which wreath I want for my front door--the one that's all red berries, or the one that's pine cones, red berries and fake pine needles. I haven't spotted one in irridescent mylar yet. Or one made of palm fronds. I suppose I could keep looking. Or not.

I have laid out my Christmas decorations with loving care and spent a good hour cursing at my tiny tree with its tiny ornaments because the store where I bought everything else didn't have tiny ornament hangers; they only had gargantu-hangers that you'd use to hang the grapefruit-sized ornament on the giant tree in Rockefeller Center. So, in my usual impatient manner, I bought the big ones because I would rather spend an hour cursing Christmas trees, ornaments and their hangers than wait an extra day until I could find the small hangers. I'm sure I will be cursing just as much after New Year's when it's time to unwind the gargantu-hangers from the tiny branches. But hey, that's a month away. I'll do it New Year's day when I'll have the whole darn day to cuss about it. I'm sure the cats will enjoy the flow of words. :)