Tiny Christmas: Who needs a tree?

We used to always get our Christmas tree about a week before and keep it up until Epiphany (aka Twelfth Day), but the last few years our local spots have run out of trees before we got to them. The first time it happened, we made the trek to a nearby suburb and found a plentiful selection to choose from. I made a mental note to be sure to get a tree a bit earlier next time so we could buy either from Nokomis Beach Coffee shop, which offered free delivery in the neighborhood, or Mother Earth Gardens, which is even closer and has a full complement of wreaths, greens, and more.  

We missed the last tree by a day (or so) again last year, so this time I made myself a calendar reminder to get the tree in early December, figuring we could keep it outside in the snow until it was the right time to bring it in.

Right after Thanksgiving, I bought a wreath and a small swag at the garden center, and some branches of berries to add to the arrangement of greens I had gathered from my own garden for the front step. There were plenty of trees to chose from then, but I figured I would get a tree from the coffee shop, since I was buying a lot of other things from the garden center already. Spread the business around a little, you know? I was going to be sure to get over to Nokomis Beach in the next week or so—still early, in my mind.

Well, they both sold out by December 8th this year! The report from Mother Earth Gardens was that demand was unusually high, and they were hearing from a lot of people who hadn't even had a real tree before. People weren't traveling for Christmas, and they were feeling some nostalgia besides. Pandemic comfort decor, I suppose.

We didn't feel like traveling, either, not even outside the neighborhood in search of a tree. Perhaps it's the pandemic effect for us, too, but we realized we were more in the mood for a scaled-down holiday anyway, and a tree seemed kind of, well, opulent. Especially a tree we would have to go out of our way to get. 

I bought some extra greenery from Mother Earth, including a bundle of small fir boughs that I put in a sturdy crock and set on the buffet, in order to bring the essence of Christmas tree into the house. 

The folks at Mother Earth also had some tiny arrangements of flowers and greens in pots that were a mere 2" in diameter. I bought one to put in an equally tiny cast-iron urn I bought years ago, which had been too small to use for actual plants because the roots outgrow it in about two weeks. But an arrangement in florist foam was perfect.

It gradually dawned on me that without a tree to requisition all of our ornaments, I could place some of them around the house on various shelves, in cozy little spots, or hanging from other things. I really enjoyed spreading tiny Christmas all around the house and now am thinking about how I could do even more of that in future.

We might forego a tree next year too, only this time intentionally, now that we've discovered how Christmassy the house can feel without it. Not needing to rearrange furniture or sweep up needles is an added bonus.

I hope you are enjoying this Christmastide (which isn't over until January 6, you know) in your own small way.

Hanging from a lamp in the den.

Atop the wainscot in the bathroom.

A broad view of the buffet, with unhelpful cat.