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.

New poll: What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Hey! I just added a new poll -- favorite Christmas movies. I actually love all of the ones on my list! If I had to pick one, though, it would probably be A Christmas Story. I'm laughing now, just thinking about poor Flick with his tongue stuck to a flag pole.

Favorite Christmas memories

I have a lot of fun childhood Christmas memories -- in part because my parents are really into celebrating the season. My mom goes all out with decorating, and my dad basically loves everything about Christmas (I'm not sure how I wound up with such a ho-hum attitude toward the holiday season). My favorite memory of all, however, involves our annual Christmas tree search. Actually, I'm not sure if we did this every year or just a couple of times -- but I like to think it was an annual event. Anyway, my parents would pick me up from school at Carl Cozier Elementary and we would ride in our blue Ford Comet out to a tree farm where we would search and search until we found the right tree. I believe it was almost always a Douglas Fir. On the way home, we would stop by the Mt. Bakery for a treat (we lived in Bellingham, Wash. near Mt. Baker at the time -- cute name for a bakery, huh??). This kinda goes to show that Christmas isn't about all the stuff under the tree, doesn't it?

What's your favorite Christmas memory?

Gift cards!

Who doesn't love receiving gift cards??! And for that matter, who doesn't love giving them? It's so easy -- you go the store, plunk down some cash (or, plastic -- which I totally don't recommend unless you intend to pay it off as soon as the bill comes) and your gift is ready to go. Nonetheless, it is important to equip yourself with some knowledge about gift cards before going out and getting one for every single person on your list. That's why, today, I am sending you all over to Leah Ingram's fabulous Lean Green Family blog, where you can read up on Five Tips for Buying Gift Cards.

I'm dreaming of a lean Christmas

I knew weeks ago that Carl and I had to cut back on spending this Christmas. We had a fun, busy and expensive year. We bought a sailboat. We went to Maui. We had to fix our car. Now that the end of year is approaching, we're out of disposable income. And, thanks to the economy, our usual source of extra funds has dwindled to the point that it isn't even worth dipping in to. I'm not complaining -- I know we are all in the same boat. It just means we have to make concessions.

So, we set a strict budget for Christmas. $50 for each of our parents. $25 each for our two nieces. $50 for Carl's sister and her husband. $25 for my grandparents. $100 for everything else, like hostess gifts, small gifts for friends, etc. etc. Total budget this year: $400 (gifts for each other don't fall into this budget -- that's separate).

Two weeks ago, that sounded completely reasonable and doable. However, I am now looking at slashing the budget even more. Why? Because I totally misunderstand the pay rate on a very time-consuming project that I recently completed. I thought this check would cover my Christmas budget and the 10 personal training sessions I just signed up for (with some $$ left over). Wrong. Now I'm not sure yet where my Christmas money -- or the money to pay the trainer -- will come from (since I freelance, I never really know when my checks will arrive).

PS: On another note, I want to say thanks to Sarah Jio who blogs about health and fitness for Glamour.com. She mentioned my blog on her blog, Vitamin G, last week and I can see that quite a few of her readers clicked over. Thanks to all of you for stopping by. Oh, and if you aren't familiar with Vitamin G -- it is an absolute must-read blog. Perfect for when you need a break from work or kids or whatever. Definitely check it out!

Last year's Christmas mix

A few days before Christmas '07, I decided to throw together a collection of seasonal tunes. I wanted to burn CDs and use them as stocking stuffers (you know, kinda like a mixed tape -- only not). Here is the mix I came up with (plus my impressions of said songs).

1. Jingle Bells by the Puppini Sisters. I have heard a zillion versions of Jingle Bells, and this is my all-time fave.

2. Ding Dong Merrily On High by Chanticleer. This was a free I-Tunes download, and while it is the type of song I appreciate musically, I don't really want to listen to more than, like, twice. No offense to the BeeGees, but I'm not really into the whole men-singing-first-soprano thing.

3. Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland by Michael Bolton. Yes, I actually downloaded a Michael Bolton song. I said I liked it, but I lied.

4. Carol of the Bells by The Bird and the Bee. Another free download. Kindof a trip, too.

5. The First Noel by Josh Groban and Faith Hill. A song that really exemplifies Christmas.

6. All I Want For Christmas by Joss Stone. I totally regret paying 99 cents for this song. Nothing is wrong with it per se, I just don't like the whole sultry/whiny style of singing that I'm hearing in this one.

7. O Come O Come Emmanuel by Carter's Cord: A country version of the classic carol. I love this song. Listen to the lyrics. This is what I really want for Christmas.

8. Messiah Part 2, No. 44 by the London Symphony Orchestra. Two years ago, Carl and I went to a Handel's Messiah performance at a theater in Portland. I'm not going to out the orchestra here, but oh-my-gosh the entire thing was dreadful. I love this one because it reminds me of the moment we realized that horrible concert was just about over.

8. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow by Michael Buble. A song that makes me happy. It makes me want to put on a cute dress and go to a holiday party.

9. Little Drummer Boy by Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra. Hilarious. Groovy. You must download this song!!!

New poll: If you had to pick just one Christmas album ...

We have another new poll! Please cast your vote (the poll is in the green column on the right side of the screen).