Last year, my artificial Christmas tree  died…rather the lights did…before I had the opportunity to even decorate it.  Just a couple of months ago, I put it out for the local Trash Clean Up Days Free Curbside Shopping; there was nothing wrong with the tree, but the mere thought of restringing all the lights made me weary.  

This season I was determined to celebrate–the last two years lacked the merriment to which I’m accustomed.  I told a friend of my ‘grand plan’ for purchasing a Christmas tree and she jibed that I would probably end up with a Charlie Brown tree.  To save on the hassle of shopping and schlepping a tree, I bought a pre-lit, pre-decorated tree at a local festival–just had to dismantle it and transport it home.  As I was dismantling the tree it seemed a little too familiar, as if I’d gone through these exact motions before–the various tree parts, the base, the sizes of the sections seemed well-known.  Then I was a bit amused to realize the tree wasn’t all pre-lit, but rather in some sections the lights had been strung and attached to the branches with zip ties.  I began to think I had purchased my tree back and I chuckled to myself.  

I spent a week, or three, adjusting the sparse branches, vacillating about the origins of the tree, adding in evergreen garlands I’d purchased for my ‘prior’ tree that seemed to know just the right places to snuggle into.  Finally, I committed to its place in my home (again?) and prepared to add the ornaments.  I was literally getting out of my chair when one strand of lights flashed and then went dark. Guess it’s gonna be