To tree or not to tree

I have a dilemma. Should Carl and I get a Christmas tree this year? A nice tree will set us back at least $30. At least. And if you've read my previous posts, you know that we are trying to cut back this year (read: we have to cut back this year). Then again, Christmas trees look so pretty and smell so nice. I love sitting in my living room with a book and cup of tea (or wine, or hot cocoa, or even water) and the tree and the lights and the stockings and all that.

If we skip the tree, it won't be the first year we've done this. For a while we put up a fake tree from Target, but we sold it when we moved into our current home in May 2005. I'm pretty sure we celebrated Christmas sans tree that year (and the holiday was just as happy).

Anyway, I'm just not sure what to do. Should I invest in a tree or not? If I do, I want to put it up right after Thanksgiving so I can enjoy it for the entire month of December! But that involves crawling up to the high shelves in the garage and getting down the ornaments in, like, 10 days. I just don't know.

Need decorations? Try your local garage sale

My husband Carl is looking for an industrial sewing machine (he wants to make some sail covers for his San Juan 23), so we spent last Saturday morning going from garage sale to garage sale hoping we would get lucky.

We didn't find the sewing machine, but we did find some other items -- namely, a ton of Christmas decorations. Lights, ornaments, candle holders, placements, bowls, wreathes, etc, etc. I'm not in the market for this stuff, so I didn't buy anything. But if I did need a few things to make my home more festive, I think the local g-sale circuit might be the way to go (yeah, some of it was hideous -- but for the most part, the items were totally normal-looking seasonal decorations).

Buying someone else's unwanted holiday decor is green. It's also economical. And, not to sound cheesy, but garage sale shopping is fun. Carl and I have had a ton of fun over the past 10 years going to garage sales. We get up early, get coffee, listen to Car Talk on NPR and drive around the 'hood in search of, well, whatever. I totally recommend it. And if you need lights or ornaments, act fast! I think this coming weekend is going to wrap up g-sale season -- the weather just gets too gross in November, and everyone is too busy preparing for Thanksgiving.