Breaking news!!! DECISION!!!Gambit Christmas Tree tradition hangs in the balance.

[lionJC]

Take a picture of a real tree and hang out up on the wall. That should work.

 

[CVLion]

Great story (stories), @CVLion. And here's hoping that things progress as you projected they might with the new, younger, lady love.

I love the annual story from @fairgambit about how he obtained his tree from the farm. But there is the in-between option (between Christmas tree farm and artificial). While I've gone the farm route a few times, I still prefer going to a place that sells pre-cut trees. A very long time ago, while I was in Boy Scouts, I helped sell such trees each year (a fundraiser for our Scout troop). I learned a good bit about the different trees, how to avoid trees that were too old, how to find trees that weren't trimmed too much and actually had room to hang balls/decorations, how to negotiate on price, etc. It became a tradition for our family that I would take my kids with me, to help me pick out a pre-cut tree. This year, my youngest (long time out of college) came home on 12/18, and I held off getting a tree until today, so that we could do it together. It was fun for both of us, and I was happy to see that many of the things I had tried to teach my kids were absorbed by my youngest. We didn't get a perfect tree, but we got the best one that was left on the lot that also worked with the height/width dimensions of my living room with which I had to work.

Thank you @TomMcAndrew Appreciated your story as well!

As for “how to negotiate on price,” isn’t that all about channeling the dad from A Christmas Story?

 

[Mr. Potter]

A Tale of Deception and Resolution....

Today my wife and I were still at a standoff over a real, vs artificial, Christmas tree. It was time for a bit of deception. I knew my wife would be gone all day as some friends of ours are having a party later this week and she agreed to help with the baking. After she left his morning, I went to a local hardware store where I know the manger well. I told him I wanted a fake Christmas tree. He asked why as he knows I only buy real ones. I didn't say much other than this was a bit of a prank and I needed the worst smelling fake tree he had. He went over to a box and opened it. The smell was unmistakably that of a fake "plastic" tree. He told me all of his artificial trees have very little smell but this one, for some reason, was apparently defective and a customer returned it. He was going to send it back to the distributor but was given a credit and told to just throw it out. I said "I'll take it. How much?" Since he was going to toss it, he said it was free. I handed him a bit of cash anyway and raced home.
Our tree always goes in our family room which has high ceilings, and I opened the box and put it there. I closed the door and went to work in my office. An hour later I went down and opened the door. The smell almost knocked me over. Perfect!
My wife arrived home just before 7:30 tonight. I asked her how it went and she said "Great. We got a lot done. I brought you some cookies". I thanked her and we headed to the family room.
As she opened the door she gasped and said "What is that awful smell"? "What smell?" said I.
She said "It smells like burnt plastic".
"Oh, that smell. That's our new Christmas tree. I decided you were right and went out and bought us a new one as a surprise". "Well get rid of it. It's horrible. Take it outside right now. Its making me sick." "Aw honey, I think we can get used to it". "No. Take it out. We'll go for a real one first chance we get". "Well, if you insist" said I, trying to hide my joy.
A few minutes ago we were both sitting quietly, reading books. She said "You didn't have to go through all that trouble". "What trouble", said I. "You didn't have to go looking for the worst smelling tree in Pennsylvania just to get me to agree to a real one". (Busted!!!) "I'm not sure I know what you mean honey". "You know exactly what I mean. And it wasn't necessary. While over at Linda's house I commented on how great the cookies smelled while baking. She agreed, and said it was one of the great smells of Christmas, like the real tree we get every year. That moment brought back all of the memories of walking the fields looking for the perfect tree, the great smells, and the decorating, back in a rush and I knew we would never go artificial. I was going to tell you but that awful smell beat me to it." "God Bless you honey. You're the best". "Yes I am, she said, and don't you ever forget it". And I won't.
So. The Gambit live tree tradition lives on! Merry Christmas to all, and may God Bless us, every one.

Awesome.

Reminds me of Bing Crosby in White Christmas when he replies to Betty Haynes Character (Rosemary Clooney). She tells him that the famous " Davis and Wallace " were lured under False Pretenses to see the Haynes Sisters Act.

"Everybody goes it a little larceny in them" Bing tells her