Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Every year since our first year of marriage, Bob and I have always purchased a real tree for Christmas. The tree was usually a little under 6 feet tall, full and beautiful. This year, we have a baby to think about and, in the interest of safety, we decided to buy a smaller tree this year, one we could perch on a table and away from curious little hands. When I thought "small," I pictured a miniature version of trees of past Christmases. What my husband bought is the tree pictured here. We had a good laugh as he carried the thing, in one hand, to our car. We immediately christened it our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree," reminiscent of that cartoon character's pathetic Christmas tree, a couple of ornaments hanging from two or three branches on a stick.

The gifts are piling up under our little tree and it makes me chuckle every time our daughter points at it and says something along the lines of "tee." I look at her staring at the thing, mouth wide open and a pudgy finger pointing. She seems so enchanted by it, even though it's such a sad little tree compared to the trees her father and I have had in the past. It's her very first Christmas tree and to her it's beautiful. I suppose, in that case, it'll do.