Yuletide Disasters Recalled

I grew up with the tradition of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve. This was back in the days when most trees were decorated with silver tinsel and large bulb lights, a great fire combination. Maybe this is why we waited until the 24th to put ourselves at risk. Factor in puppies and cats to topple the tree and you have a perfect storm for a yuletide disaster. But I only remember one tree falling, so maybe the risk was overrated. What did fall regularly were needles, thousands of them thanks to radiator heat and forgetting to water the tree.

Here is a photo of the Christmas tree in front of California’s capitol which has nothing to do with our fabled home trees in New Jersey.