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“Really Bo, look at those scraggly branches. Do you really want to use that decrepit tree again this year?” Nora asked scrunching up her nose in contempt.
“It’s not that bad, honey,” he said unfolding the crinkled branches. “You just have to pull it into shape. It’s been in a box all year.”
“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “It’s been in and out of that box for several years. It’s a mess! Let’s not use it.”
“You’re saying you want a new one then?” he asked.
“Yes. Well...no. Well...I’m saying I don’t want to use that one or get a new one. Let’s start a new tradition with our new life in this house. Let’s get a real tree this year,” she said with eyes gleaming. “Look at this flyer I picked up today.” She pulled a folded flyer from her purse.
Bo read the flyer aloud:
Come to Sugar GroveTree farm for an Old-Fashioned Christmas. Ride a horse-drawn sleigh to the field. Choose and cut your own Christmas tree. Enjoy hot chocolate and holiday goodies. Make this a Christmas your family will always remember.
“Seriously, Red? Do you know what this entails?”
“Well, yes I do…” Nora began. “Sort of...we did it a few times during my childhood and it was fun! And we didn’t get to cut our own...just chose a pre-cut tree from a lot. But, it was still fun, Bo. And they smell soooo good...like pine...and…”
“And there’s a foot of snow on the ground...at least!” he interrupted. “And it’s windy and cold. We’re gonna freeze our butts off out there! And then we’re going to drag that wet tree in here and it’s going to drip all over the floor and shed needles everywhere for a month! That’s what the tradition is really all about. Don’t romanticize it honey,” he ended scowling.
Nora waited a moment and then sauntered over to him. “Bo?” She moved her body closer to his and put her arms around him pulling him closer. She nuzzled his neck. “Do you remember how you told me we were going to make new memories in this house?” she asked playing with his collar. She kissed him softly. “And you said ‘the best is yet to come’...I think that’s how you put it.” She kissed him again, more fervently while unbuttoning his shirt. He was getting warm and bothered, knowing he was falling prey to her ploy and unable to keep his mind and eyes off her lips. “‘Expect more’...I believe that’s the way you said it,” she told him between kisses. By this time his shirt was unbuttoned to the waist and she was untucking it from his jeans. “Weren’t those your very words? Answer the question, Commissioner.”
Bo sighed. He knew she was winning this one.
Nora continued after a long, stimulating kiss. “Tell you what I’ll do... I promise... that if you wade the snow to cut down and drag home the perfect Christmas tree for me...and if you get cold doing so, I will warm you up in the nicest of ways...and…”, she continued, raising her eyebrows, “...if you tell me tonight that you’ll take me to the tree farm, I’ll give you a preview of that warming technique. So...what do you say Commish?” she asked in a whispered tone just an inch from his mouth.
He sighed and shook his head. “You win again Counselor,” he whispered back before pulling her tightly into his embrace.
* * * * * * * *
Early Saturday morning an exuberant Nora and a resigned Bo donned their boots, gloves, scarves, and parkas for a trip to Sugar Grove Tree Farm.
“Do we have everything we need?” she asked. “A saw?”
“Check,” Bo said.
“Rope?”
“Check.”
“Money?”
“Check”
“Double socks, coat, gloves, hat, scarf, boots?”
“Check.”
“Happy heart and a good attitude?”
“Don’t push it,” he grumbled.
“Oh Bo! Really! Remember when you dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn to go fishing with you….?” she began.
“Yeah...but I don’t remember you approaching it with a ‘happy heart and a good attitude’ was his smart reply.
She took his chin in her hand and kissed him playfully. “Come on, my abominable snowman, and remember the “warming technique” I introduced you to last night. Think about that when your tookus is freezing on the hillside.”
“Oh yeah,” he said with the gleam of a memory in his eyes.
* * * * * * *
Bo had to admit that the view at Sugar Grove Tree Farm was amazing. Gray farmhouse with gingerbread trim and a huge red barn with a backdrop of all species of evergreen trees each one heavy-laden with fresh winter snow. They enjoyed this view snuggled together on the seat of a horse-drawn wagon. It was truly a winter wonderland.
Bo also had to admit that it was indeed fun…at first.
But after thirty minutes in the blistering wind he was ready to make a choice and be done with it. Nora, however, found something wrong with every tree they looked at…”too short, too tall, too fat, no good branch at the top for a star…”, the list went on and on. Every time she said, “This one looks nice” he pulled the saw out only to have her say, “Wait! There’s some over here we haven’t seen yet.” But, he tried to be a good sport and let her enjoy her moment. She seemed to be having a good time.
“Come on, Bo. Which one do you like? After all, Christmas is more your holiday than mine,” she said.
“Well...how about that one straight ahead of us?” He started to lead the way when he slipped, fell onto his back and slid about twenty feet down a small hill luckily landing between two trees.
“Bo!” he heard Nora shouting. “Bo! Are you alright?” She scrambled as quickly as she could to his side. “Are you alright?” she asked again falling on her knees beside him. “Are you hurt anywhere?” She looked him over worriedly.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I’m so numb from the cold I can’t feel any pain. I think I’m alright.” Then taking the saw he pointed to the tree on his right. “That one. That’s our tree. It’s perfect,” he said.
Nora stood and looked the tree over. “You know what?” She walked all around it. “I think you’re right. It is perfect! We’ve just chosen our first real Christmas tree, Bo,” she said smiling. “Cut it down and let’s go home.”
Bo didn’t waste any time doing as she asked.
* * * * * * *
The challenge of choosing the tree paled in comparison to the challenge of decorating it. After carrying it into the house they discovered the trunk was too fat to fit into the tree stand. So Bo began whittling away at the base to make it fit while Nora teased him about being her little Geppetto, the woodcarver of Pinocchio fame.
After standing the tree up, they discovered it had a crooked trunk, so they had to prop a brick under the right side of the stand to make it look straight. This was not a problem as it was covered by the tree skirt.
Then the star was too heavy for the top branch making it droop backward. Being the perfectionist, this did not sit well with Nora. But, they were able to solve the problem by using some very thin florist wire to tie the star upright. You couldn’t even see the wire with the lights and decorations added.
Finally, hours later when they were finished, Bo turned off the room lights so they could admire their masterpiece. It really was a beautiful tree. He put his arm around his wife, “Well, there it is, Red. What do you think?” he asked.
“I think it’s beautiful,” she said in awe. “And... I think it was fun...sort of...but also...sort of...a hassle,” she said hesitantly wrinkling her nose. “Really Bo...do you believe people do this every year?”
Bo looked at her startled. “What are you saying? Are you saying that after all we’ve been through today you aren’t happy?”
Nora turned and wrapped her arms around his neck drawing closer to him. “No. I’m happy,” she said smiling. “It’s beautiful...and you’re sweet for taking me and being a good sport about it.” She toyed with his collar and buttons again. “But,” she said kissing him softly, “do you think maybe…”
Bo looked at her lips only inches away from his. She’s doing it again, he thought.
“...maybe,” she continued with another kiss, “...that after Christmas we could buy a new tree... on sale...the kind that comes from a warm store and is brought home in a box?”
“Yes! Thank you” he shouted looking upward; and then in a softer tone, “Anything you want, honey, as long as I still get that ‘warming technique’ you showed me last night.”
Nora laughed. “So...you liked that did you?”
“Oh yeah…” he said kissing her and walking her backward toward the stairs. “It was very effective. Warmed me right up.”
“Hmmm...well, let’s see what we can do...come, Commissioner,” she said taking his hand and pulling him up the stairs.
“I’m right behind you.”
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