It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Only it's not cold.  And there is no snow.  And although it is cloudy today and rainy for the next few days, still in the 60s and 70s.  Just a lovely Fall overall!
But our friends at Wal Mart have begun to play carols.  Loudly.  So loud yesterday that I could barely think of what I needed at the store. And this brings up a story from last year that was continued today.
Last December 26th, I got up at 5:00 am and left from home at 5:30 in order to hit the early sales of leftover Christmas stuff at our local WalMart.  I was at the door at 6:00 am. The road had been slightly icy and it was black black black outside.  Eww.  And I was surprised that there was no one there, a dozen cars in the lot which I supposed belonged to the employees. But where were the people?  Don't people in Kentucky take advantage of saving some money on their Christmas items by getting them for half price?
I entered the store and quickly got the things I'd had my eye on.  One of these was a new Christmas tree.  We didn't have room or time to put up a tree last year.  As a matter of fact, I only have felt like my life was my own again the past couple of months.  Moving across the country and after having roots down for years and years really means it takes a while to get settled in.  Although I wanted a tree, I was darned if I was going to buy one at full price. But they had this darling one at WalMart and it was half off.

Our new tree has been in the box now for almost 11 months.  Today, Jerry couldn't stand it anymore.  He wanted his new tree up, with the lights already on it.  He brought it up from where we had stored it, we discussed where it should go.  I wasn't real jazzed about putting it up before Thanksgiving but I can't remember when we had a tree last so I figured putting it up a week or two earlier was probably all right.  It was assembled up on a small table to discourage small black noses from getting involved in a disassembling project!  But something went wrong.  Have you ever heard of truth in advertising?  Apparently it doesn't apply to Christmas trees.

Well this is it.  I could pitch a softball through the spaces.  Jerry tried to make the best of it.  "Why, it just needs to be fluffed out some".  OK. So I fluffed a bit but said "there is no way we can fluff up over these holes!"  "Oh, but when we turn the lights on, it will look better".  I was doubtful that the lights would even come on but he tried.  He stood across the room.  "I don't think the lights helped" he pointed out. Well, uh...no!  Really!  Someone in the factory forget to wire half the branches on and they don't even come down all the way down the trunk.  So we packed up the Charlie Brown tree and put it down for the garage sale stuff.  Someone will find it useful, I'm sure.  Poor tree.
So I will be looking for a new tree this year, I'm afraid.  I like the ones they have at Lowe's, so maybe will get one from there.