This is why I moved to a little artificial tree. We used to do this when I was a girl, go tramping around in the snow out in the woods and bringing home a tree that was invariably too big. After my father died, Christmas was so depressing.

It stayed that way until I decided to drop going to the places that sold Christmas trees, with the little twigs of greens being trampled into the damp pavement, and the scrawny bedraggled trees, and all around sogginess. I was in my early 40s at that time, so I suffered for many years.

Instead of buying a tree, I went and bought an artificial tree and was not depressed that year. When the kids grew older and moved out, I took the top of it for the tree and threw the rest away.

No more awful Christmas depression for me. Christmas is not about trees anyway, it is a birthday celebration with deep spiritual, traditional and cultural roots.

I have the most treasured ornaments on the little tree, and when it's time to put it away, I carefully wrap it in a plastic wrap and put it away, ready to go for the next year, lights, ornaments and all, neatly packed away. I do have cut greens around the house though, and we enjoy the same Christmas fragrance all the same.

Enjoy your trip to the woods, AC, and give my regards to the tree you choose to take home.